


Time

by AnnieO



Series: Stepping Stones [1]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-16
Updated: 2014-11-16
Packaged: 2018-02-25 16:20:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2628176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnieO/pseuds/AnnieO
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*CURRENTLY ON HOLD* The choices made throughout life can have everlasting consequences, some greater than others. To save the universe, the Doctor is forced into a choice that could destroy everything he holds dear to him. To save one, he may lose the other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

[](http://s1369.photobucket.com/user/annieo7411/media/Time_zpsae6efd3c.jpg.html)

Time. A linear existence that exists from moment to moment, nothing exists outside of time. The sun will not rise or set. They planets would stop in their orbits and collapse into the sun. Life would cease to exist, and all things would simply...stop.

At least that is what we are taught. In truth, time is a knot work of lines, each existing in their own moment of space, but as a full part of the whole. If one time is touched then the effects will cascade through out the existence of all. This is the law. This is unquestionable.

There are those who exist within the patchwork of time, those who travel, who search to make right what has been turned wrong. Once many, now one stands alone against the tide. Or so he believed. So he traveled, from one side of the universe to the next, but always returning to one world in the end. Always the same, always Earth.

It was there that it began. The one who claimed the heart of the traveler. The one who became the Bad Wolf. The one who looked into the Vortex and lived. The one lost and gained again.

How do I know this story? I know it because I lived it.

I see everything that can happen, everything that will happen, and everything that has happened. I play among the time streams like a child with a ball and jack. I whisper of other worlds in my dreams and I see the void in my waking thoughts.

I am the light and the darkness. I am the truth and the lie. I am life through death. I am the Oncoming Storm. I am the Bad Wolf. I am the abomination.

I am Iella Nu Dedonoren in the old language. But most know me as Ella Rose Tyler.

And this is my story.

Continued.....


	2. Chapter Two

[ ](http://s1369.photobucket.com/user/annieo7411/media/Time_zpsae6efd3c.jpg.html)

_"Rose!"_

I knew that voice. Oh how I knew it. It rocked me to sleep at night. It comforted when the nightmares came. I protected me. But not now...now it terrified me.

"Rose!"

I watched from the shadows as he knelt, as he clung to the bleeding body of my mother. Time it seemed stilled, and for a moment I swore I could feel the very universe cry out it anguish as he did.

"Save her..."

The words were but a whisper and nearly stolen away by the air before they reached my hearing. In that moment I knew that my existence meant her death. My birth singled the end of her existence. I was the reason for the screams in the night. It was me.

"Mummy?"

I don't remember what forced me from my hiding in the shadows. Only that one moment I was there the next I was crawling from my protective sheath into the openness of the room.

"Mummy?"

He froze in the moment. As if he had to force himself to choose between us. I watched as slowly...so slowly he lowered her still form to the floor and turned towards me. I had never seen him look so...so...lost.

"I'm sorry."

I didn't understand. I couldn't understand. He wasn't supposed to be like this. Defeated. Lost. Alone. This was not the man I knew. This was not my father.

"We have to leave Ella."

Leave? No. We couldn't leave. Not without her. He promised me. We would always be together. He promised! I wanted to scream. Shout. Yell. Cry. Anything to make him stop. But instead I simply stared and silently tears fell and mixed with the blood on the ground.

"Look at me Ella."

I couldn't help myself I had to look away and into the same eyes that stared out of my face. Gently...lovingly he wrapped me in his arms. Lifting me away from the shattering of my childhood and into the security of his embrace. And slowly...so very slowly he walked away.

"Mummy?"

I cried and reached behind trying to prolong the finial moments of my connection to her. Begging him to not take me away. I screamed. I kicked. I pleaded. His steps didn't slow no matter what I did.

"She's gone Ella."

"Mummy?!"

"She's gone."

"MUMMY!"

* * * * * 

Brown eyes shot open and slowly, gradually her breathing slowed as she registered the familiar hum in the back of her mind. She was safe. She was home. And that familiar dream had been lingering in her world since she was four-years-old had faded. Twelve years now it haunted her.   
  
Oh yes she knew that dream so well.   
  
With a heavy sigh she tossed back her blankets and swung her legs onto the floor feeling the well-known vibrations tickle there way up her body. She glanced up as the gentle glow of the walls gradually began to brighten as the TARDIS realized her awakened state.   
  
"Morning." She smiled as the hum in her mind greeted her happily. "Is he up?" She frowned as the hum paused for a moment then resumed but with a hint of sadness. "What's wrong?"   
  
_Rose..._   
  
It wasn't often that the TARDIS actually formed words in her mind, and this was one she wished it would never whisper to her. "Its today isn't it?"   
  
_Yes_   
  
"Great." She slumped back into bed and sighed. He would be taking them back. He always did on this day. The hum in her mind became insistent. "I know." She reached under her pillow and pulled out the only photo she possessed of her mother. "I just wish..." She placed the photo back into its normal resting place and pulled herself out of bed. She felt the familiar jolt through the floor as the TARDIS settled into land and quickly pulled on some clothing and shoes before dashing out into the corridor. She felt the draft and smelt the salt air as she entered the control room and knew he had brought them back. She stepped out on to the sands as the wind sent her brown hair flying about.   
  
"Bad Wolf Bay." She brushed her hair out of her face. She caught sight of him standing just short of the crashing waves, his brown coat billowing out around him in the wind. Quietly she walked up beside him and watched as the sun slowly rose above the horizon setting the sky a fire with color. Beside her he blindly took her hand in his and together they stood in silence as the suns rays slowly advanced across the blue-green ocean.   
  
"I thought you were sleeping."   
  
She nearly jumped at the sound of his voice, as it seemed to shout into the silence that had been surrounding them. "Kind of hard with your landings." She saw a small smile etch his face. "You'd think after nine hundred plus years of travel you'd get it right."   
  
"Why change what works?" He smiled down at her. "You used to love it when you were little, wanted me to land hard enough to knock you off your feet every time. Your Mum would..."   
  
She watched as his smile slowly faded away. "I Know. I remember." She squeezed his hand. "She would give you that look, and then you'd ramble on about one thing or another..." She paused, "and your daughter apparently inherited that gene." She reached over and took the small wooden box he clutched in his other hand, plain aside from the small rose carved into the top. "I miss her."   
  
"I do to, but I'm glad for one thing." He moved his arm around her shoulders and smiled down into her brown eyes. So like her Mum... "You." He reached his free hand over and wiped a tear from her cheek before reaching and taking the box from her.   
  
He never had a chance to truly mourn for her, never allowed himself the luxury of the emotion, except for one day. A single day out of an endless amount of time and it was always the same. He came back here, to where he said good-bye, to where he lost part of himself, to where he allowed the emotions to surface if only for a single moment. With shaking hands he slowly opened the box and allowed Ella to reach in and take out the contents and release them into the gentle wind.   
  
Slowly, they danced on the breeze. Light and silky they reflected their red blush in the sunlight. Gradually the petals disappeared into the blue-green waters, so simple an offering that held so heavy a meaning. It was all he had, all he could do.   
  
A simple box of red silky petals...   
  
A rose for his Rose...   
  
As the last petal faded into the distance, he closed the box and took his daughter's hand in his. As one they turned from the crashing waves and made their way back to the small blue box that was home. Once inside Ella curled up on the command chair and ran a hand through her now tangled strands of hair as her father danced around the controls sending them off into the familiar realm of the vortex.   
  
"Now," The Doctor turned to face his daughter. "Want to tell me what really brought you out?"   
  
She still hadn't figured out how her father could change moods so quickly. One moment he was ready to burst into tears remembering her mum, the next he was acting like it never happened. She swore she would never really understand him.   
  
"I told you," she continued to play with her hair, refusing to meet his eyes. "The landing woke me."   
  
He shook his head. "This from the girl who slept thorough the great San Francisco earthquake, the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, the super nova of the Sagittarian system, and the snoring of Captain Jack Harkness." He paused in thought. "Course I still don't understand how humans can make so much noise when they sleep, you'd think they wake themselves up or something, or at least shatter a window." He shrugged and again changed moods. "It was something more than a landing. You haven't willingly set foot on that bay since you were ten-years-old."   
  
Ella stopped playing with her hair and took a deep breath. "It was nothing really."   
  
The Doctor stepped forward and kneeled in front of her gently tilting her chin up to look into her eyes. "Iella," he watched her wince at the use of her Gallifreyan name. "Something made you come to me."   
  
"I told you it was nothing." She pulled away and hopped up from the chair. "I'm fine honest." She smiled and headed down the corridor.   
  
He watched her go and with a sigh turned to admire the center of the room. "What do you think?" He absently caressed the control panel and heard a worried hmm in his head. "Yeah." He turned and glanced back down the corridor where Ella disappeared. 

* * * * * 

She had always loved this room, even before she could read, her father would bring her in here and tell her stories and read from the infinite number of books that piled on the wooden shelves. The simple seating and lighting added to the comfort of the room along with the fireplace, that as long as she could remember, had never gone out. She gently ran her fingers along the book edges as she wandered through the selection. She never really came into this room with an idea of what she wanted, she always just allowed herself to be guided to the perfect book. Her hand paused and pulled out an old leather covered book, one that she didn't remember ever seeing in all her wanderings of the room. She settled into one of the large over stuffed chairs that she preferred and curled up with her treasure.   
  
She flipped open to the first page and nearly dropped the book as the TARDIS sent a sudden jolt through her mind. "What?" She blinked and looked round at the glowing walls. She closed to book and the hmm descended to a more tolerable level. "Is something wrong?" She closed her eyes and concentrated on the flicker of light her father always made in her mind and found nothing to be amiss. "Is he tinkering again?" The sudden mental sigh gave her all the answer she needed. "Well give him a good jolt if he uses the mallet."   
  
She resettled herself into the chair and again opened the book. She felt the TARDIS again attempting to send another jolt through her mind, but quickly blocked the ship out, something she had never done in her life. "Look if he's annoying you that much knock him on his rear and leave me alone." She waited until the TARDIS presence had completely left her mind then turned back to the book.   
  
She slowly read the opening passage and was quickly caught up in the nuances of the author. She was quite ready to settle in for a long read when her eyes froze at the finial line of the page.   
  
_I am Iella Nu Dedonoren in the old language. But most know me as Ella Rose Tyler.  
  
And this is my story.   
_  
The book hit the floor with a muffled thump as Ella stared down at it in shock. "That's not possible..." She reached down and carefully picked the book back up, opening it to the first page, only to find it blank. _Ok this is just strange...and that's saying a lot around here._ She thought to herself. She closed the book and went to place it back on the shelf, only to find that her eyes were drawn back to the leather bound volume as soon as her hands left it.   
  
Slowly she forced herself to step away and walk out of the library. With a deep breath she headed back to the control room where she smiled when she caught sight of her father getting knocked on his rear.   
  
"Oi! What was that for?" He pulled himself up and turned when he heard someone giggling behind him.   
  
"When I told her to knock you on your bum I didn't think she'd take it literally." Ella laughed.   
  
The Doctor quirked an eyebrow at her and sighed. "So now you're teaming up on me?"   
  
Ella shrugged as she ran a hand lovingly across the wall as she headed for the captains chair. "Dad, we've been teamed against you since I could talk to her." Ella smiled and flopped down into the chair. "Besides its your own fault for poking and prodding the old girl so much." Ella deftly caught the dirty rag that came flying in her direction.   
  
"Cheeky," The Doctor waggled a finger at her. "Reminds me of someone I can't quite think who though."   
  
"You?"   
  
"Nah, that's impossible. I am not cheeky in the least. Nor am I ginger, but that's beside the point. Not that I wouldn't mind being ginger, always wanted to be in fact. I was really hoping this time I would be ginger. Anyway where was I? Oh yeah cheeky, well I think you get it from your Gran, she was always a bit full..."   
  
Ella sighed and chuckled lightly as he disappeared under the council his voice muffled as he continued his commentary.   
  
"Course you could have learned it from Jack, although if it is his fault I need to go and do something about that..."   
  
Ella hopped up off the chair and slowly walked round the central column, her fingers idly caressing the controls as she hummed softly to herself.   
  
"...Course there is still no way you could get that from me. Never been cheeky not once, rude? Yeah been rude, but never cheeky...well there was that one time..."   
  
Ella paused as she came to the front of the control council, the very spot her mother had stood at years ago when she looked into the TARDIS. She felt something drawing her, pulling her to the spot, a voice in her mind, a song in her blood. She longingly caressed the spot and felt her mind being pulled towards it.   
  
"Iella!"   
  
The sound of his voice shattered the trance she had fallen into. She blinked and glanced around not remembering moving to the spot. "Wha?"   
  
The Doctor looked at her with concern. "Didn't you hear me?"   
  
She shook her head, "no. Sorry, must have been daydreaming." She gave him a shaky smile.   
  
He walked up to her and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. "Let me just..."   
  
She shoved his hand away. "I'm fine Dad, just more tired than I thought."   
  
"Your sure?" She nodded at him. "Tell you what why don't I take us somewhere fun this time?"   
  
"Barcelona?" She teased   
  
He reached over and tweaked her nose. "There you see cheeky." He gave her a gentle shove towards the corridor. "Go get some rest." 

* * * * * 

She headed towards her room with the thought of a nice nap settling in her mind, but instead found herself again in the library reaching for the book. She pulled her hand back as if she had been burned and glanced around the room. "Ok, Ella get a hold of yourself." She stepped back away from the shelves. "Nothing can get to us in the TARDIS." She swallowed the lump in her throat as her dark eyes scanned the room, but always returning to the spot the book occupied in the mass of shelves. Without remembering she found herself suddenly in her room the book in hand and opening to the first page again.   
  
She felt a pressure building in her mind as she again read the words that had disappeared. She fought to toss the book away but found her body unresponsive to her commands. Her eyes were guided across the written lines of their own will. She again reached the finial lines of the passage and with a sudden jolt felt her mind ripped away.   
  
_I am Iella Nu Dedonoren in the old language. But most know me as Ella Rose Tyler._  
  
And this is my story.   
  
She screamed.


	3. Chapter Three

[ ](http://s1369.photobucket.com/user/annieo7411/media/Time_zpsae6efd3c.jpg.html)

_She was running._

_She couldn’t remember why she was running, only that she needed to get away…needed to keep her safe from them. She clutched her precious cargo to her tighter as she tripped and slid down an embankment._

_“Not much further…nearly there.” She whispered soothingly as she regained her footing and forced her exhausted legs to continue on their path. “Nearly home.”_

_She skidded to a stop as a van cut off her direct rout to the TARDIS. She knew they were behind her as well. Quickly glancing about she moved towards an abandoned building and prayed to find the way in unbarred. The door squeaked open on its rusty hinges and she slid into the dark interior. She moved quickly to a pile of boxes and set her bundle down before running back and sliding several items in front of the door._

_Outside she could hear voices and knew it wouldn’t be long before they figured out where she had disappeared too. She moved back over to the pile of boxes and kneeled down._

_“I want you to stay here love, don’t move.” She wrapped the blanket securely around the child. “Don’t make a sound. Like playing hide and seek.” She clutched the child to her. “I love you.”_

_“Mummy?”_

_“Stay their love,” She slowly backed away hearing the door begin to groan as the assault from outside tore at the old metal. “Stay quiet. Stay safe. He’ll find you.”_

_“Mummy,” the child reached out. “I’m scared.”_

_“I know,” She turned to look at the child over her shoulder. “You need to be brave.” She turned back as the door screeched as it slid open. “Remember, he’ll find you.” She smiled sadly before turning and running out into the open._

_“MUMMY!”_

* * * * *

The resounding scream pulled Rose from her restless sleep. She thought for a moment that it might have been her little brother, Quinn, calling out, but then it struck her that the voice was female and young. She struggled to try and remember the fading tendrils of the dream before it disappeared into nothing. With a frustrated sigh she tossed the blankets aside and swung her legs over the side of the bed before resting her face in the palm of her hands.

Ever night now for the last month, like clockwork the dreams came. Oh dreaming that she was used to, but until recently it had always been about him. Now some unseen torturer decided to add to her already torturous existence. Why did this child suddenly invade the small moments she was allowed with him? Why did she feel a connection to what was obviously an extension of her overactive imagination? And most importantly how did the Doctor fit into this?

Oh yes, she felt him in the dreams. She knew he was somehow involved, only how was that even possible? He was in another universe. He was forever out of her touch. So how was it that he was stomping around in her mind in the middle of the night cutting into her sleep? She made a mental note to kick him if she ever got the chance. Seven years and still she longed for nothing more then to see his brown eyes, his goofy grin, hell even hear him ramble on about nothing would be great.

“Rose?” Her mother’s voice carried up from the base of the stairs, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Are you awake?”

“I’m up.”

“Well breakfast is ready and getting cold.”

She smiled at the tone in her Mum’s voice. “I’ll be down soon as I get cleaned up Mum.” She swore no matter how old she got, her Mum would forever see her as a three-year-old needing to be reminded of everything.

She reached into her closet and dragged out what she had come to refer to as the ‘glamorous prison uniform’. She hated the dress code at Torchwood, skirt suits were not high on her idea of the best thing to wear and be comfy in. Behind her she heard Quinn come running into her room. She turned and smiled as the six-year-old crawled up onto her bed.

“What can I do for you squirt?” She asked as she headed past him towards her bathroom.

“Mum told me ‘t come and hurry you up.” He smiled impishly at her.

She rolled her eyes and picked the boy up off the bed. “Out and tell Mum, I’ll be down when I’m down.” She swung her door shut and just to make sure, flipped the lock. There were times she really missed the TARDIS.

A good twenty minutes later she wandered down to the kitchen and snatched up a slice of cold toast before scooting out the door ahead of her mother’s call to get back inside and eat a proper meal. She tossed her bag on the passenger seat of her jeep and quickly started it and headed down the long drive.

Yup, the Doctor had rubbed off on her in the form of anti-domestics. Not that she didn’t love her family, but at times she wished they would just all disappear and leave her in peace. In a matter of a year she had gone from having just her and The Doctor to a house full of Mum, Dad, brother, and Mickey, and no TARDIS to duck into when it got to be to much. Instead she had a great big corner office with a lovely view of the London cityscape. Given the choice she’d take the TARDIS in a heartbeat.

As was normal in her commute she hardly remembered the drive until she pulled up to the secure parking garage at Torchwood and slid into her spot. She could see Mickey standing waiting for the lift as she got out and slowly wandered over to him.

“Morning,” He greeted cheerfully before handing her a takeout bag. “Your Mum called.”

Rose sighed, “Thanks.” She stepped into the lift with Mickey and hit the button for her floor. She half listened while Mickey rattled on about his current project in R&D apparently she nodded and smiled at the right moments cause he just kept on about it. Once the lift reached her floor she waved to Mickey and headed down the hall to her office. She unlocked the door and flipped on the light tossing the take out bag on the side with the one from yesterday. She reached her desk and tossed her purse into the bottom drawer before pulling the mail piled on top of the wooden surface to her.

“Good morning Miss. Tyler,” Her assistant, Alyce, smiled cheerfully as she entered and set a cup of tea on the desk next to Rose’s hand. She then settled onto the corner of Rose’s desk and flipped open her PDA.

It had taken Rose sometime to even get used to the idea of having someone around to do things for her, let alone keep her on schedule. But Alyce had been a godsend when she had walked into Rose’s office and before you could say sonic screwdriver had Rose organized and on schedule.

In a way Rose admired the pretty redhead, not to tall, not to short, average figure but with natural curls that Rose would kill for and the greenest eyes she had ever seen. Her native Irish accent was now mixed with a slight London blur and she always had a ready smile on her face, even before morning tea. It hadn’t taken long before the relationship had gone from co-worker to friend and Rose often found herself wishing she could have half of the seemingly overabundance of good humor Alyce possessed in her little finger.

“Your first meeting is at ten with the board on the situation update on the alien artifacts located in New Mexico.”

Rose nodded and took a sip of her tea. “I’ll need the latest files on…”She paused as Alyce set a folder in front of her. “Thanks.”

Alyce smiled and went to the next item on the daily agenda. “You have a lunch scheduled at one with the scientific team from Oxford.”

“Great another exciting lunch.” She sighed, “And how am I ending this wonderful day?”

“At two you have a meeting with R&D about a new artifact that arrived late last night.” Alyce handed the appropriate file to her. “It was located in a archeological dig in Northern Mongolia three months ago and according to the date analysis it’s not even close to the same time line as the other artifacts found.”

“And let me guess, it’s not terrestrial either.” Rose grinned. “And they need someone to figure it out for them.”

“And that’s why I have you around love.” Rose and Alyce both turned towards the door and watched as Peter Tyler entered the office. “Alyce.”

“Mr. Tyler,” Alyce greeted in return and closed her PDA. “Tea?”

“Please.” He settled in the leather chair in front of Rose’s desk. “I heard you left again this morning.”

Rose sighed. “Does she call everyone to tell them my business?”

Peter grin faded. “She’s just worried about you love.”

“I know, now about this mystery.” She changed the subject as Alyce returned with Pete’s tea.

“It’s got R&D snaggled, it dates at least 2,000 year older than anything else found at the site and it’s in a language that isn’t in the data base.” He took a sip of his tea. “Which of course is driving Emma nuts since she thought she had that translation program finished.”

“I can imagine.” Rose leaned back in the chair. “So what’s dragging me into this gonna change anything? I already gave Emma everything I know.”

Pete leaned forward and flipped open the file revealing the photo of the object. “This might answer that question.”

Rose glanced quickly at the photo then with a gasp took a closer look. “But that’s impossible.”

“And impossible is what you do best.”

“Alyce,” Rose stood and clutched the photo to her. “Cancel everything else this is top priority.”

“Rose?”

“I recognize it. I know what it is Dad.” She looked up at him her eyes dark with emotions.

“What?” He cams and stood beside her resting a hand on her shoulder. “What is it Rose?”

“I’ve seen this before,” She ran a finger over the photo. “But theirs only person that can tell you what it says, and he’s a bit out of reach.”

“Who?” Alyce asked.

Rose turned and smiled sadly at her assistant, tears shinning in her eyes. “The Doctor.”

* * * * *

“Doctor?” Martha Jones came walking into the control room and glanced about trying to spot the familiar converses sticking out from under the TARDIS console. “Where’s he got to now?” She frowned when her search failed to turn him up in his normal spot. “Don’t suppose you’ll give me a hint?” She asked the central column. The TARDIS hummed lightly and simply continued dancing her way through the vortex. “Yeah that’s what I figured.”

Martha turned and headed back down the corridor only to find a new door had appeared near the control room. She knew that the TARDIS could change her internal structure at will, but this was the first time she had experienced it firsthand. She pulled the door open and entered to find herself standing in the middle of a green field surrounded by plants in a multitude of containers that seemed to span into the never ending depths of the room. Above her she could feel sunlight and even a slight breeze ruffled her hair. Scents danced upon the wind, both alien and familiar. Some she could recognize from the gardens back home others she couldn’t even place the images they called to mind.

And standing in the middle of the immense room looking for all the world like a deranged gardener was The Doctor. Gone was the normal pin stripped suit and in its place was a ratty pair of jeans, t-shirt, and flip-flops, all covered in what Martha assumed to be potting soil. His normally out-of-control hair looked even more unruly than ever. In truth he looked…well…human.

“You might as well come all the way in, you’re letting the humidity out.” The Doctor looked up and smiled at Martha as he rubbed his hands against his pant legs adding more dirt to the already covered fabric. “I wondered how long it would take you to find me.”

Martha closed the door behind her and walked forward sending up a familiar fragrance as she walked across the grass. “Apples?” She inhaled deeply.

“Apple grass.” His smile disappeared a fraction.

“Never pictured you the gardening type.” Martha commented as she reached the spot the Doctor occupied. “Actually never pictured you the standing still type either.”

“Oi!” He flung a hand full of soil at her. “More of that and you can get yourself out of trouble next time.” He turned his attention back to the pot he had been working in when she entered.

“But then think how bored you’d be.” She teased. “No one to keep out of trouble and then you’ll have to get into it all on your own.” She glanced over The Doctor’s shoulder. “That’s beautiful, what’s it called?”

The Doctor gently trimmed the reddish-golden petals back, “You wouldn’t be able to pronounce its name.” He smiled up at her. “I just call it Fred.”

“Fred?”

“Well its was that or Bob,” He slid a hand through his hair mixing fresh dirt into the brown locks. “And every other person in the world is called Bob. I mean the name should be outlawed by now or something. How many Uncle Bob’s can one family have before it’s too many. Course John is just as bad…”

“Doctor..”

“Not to mention the fact that Bob is just a boring name, Hello I’m Bob. No pizzazz at all…”

“Doctor!””

“Course I didn’t actually name it Fred, that’s not a name I would choose, nope not me. I’d pick something like Supercalafragolisticexpialladoscious. But not Fred, no that was Rose’s idea…” He froze mid-rant, shaking himself after a moment. “Did you want something?”

Martha blinked at the sudden change in topic, she was partially used to the Doctor doing this when it came to the mysterious Rose, but even for him this conversation was boarding on strange. I want to know who the hell this Rose is, she thought silently. “I wanted to ask you about something I found in the library.” The Doctor turned quirking a dark eyebrow waiting for her to continue. “Well I found this old book and the TARDIS won’t translate it for me. I don’t recognize the language either from any of the other books you’ve shown me.”

“Well then lets go have a peek shall we?” He slid past Martha and headed towards the door. “ I’ll just clean up and meet you there.”

Martha sighed as he faded from sight. Part of her wanted to trek right after him and demand to know what had happened to Rose, another wanted to let it lie and hopefully be swept under the rug and forgotten. She knew in her heart that she loved him, but that he didn’t or rather couldn’t feel that same about her. Sure he treated her like a best mate, but beyond that he was closed up and locked away like a safe deposit box. And she knew it all had to do with Rose.

She exited the room and quickly jerked her hand back as the door disappeared when it clicked shut. Apparently the TARDIS decided she’d seen enough of that particular room. She shook her head and turned in the direction of the library.

* * * * *

Rose hated R&D, loved the view from the top floor, but hated the room itself. It reminded her a bit too much of the Torchwood Tower from back home, and more importantly the circumstances that had brought her here. All around her at near little work areas employees happily prodded, scanned, poked, drilled, hammered, and just down right tore apart pieces of alien culture. She couldn’t help but wonder what The Doctor would have to say about all this.

Oh she knew that he would rant and rave about the stupid apes mucking about in things that they knew and couldn’t even begin to know anything about, then he would get distracted and start playing about with whatever had managed to catch his eye and in another flash he would be demanding to know how they had managed to get their hands on a Ithorian hairdryer.

God she missed him.

She spotted Mickey elbow deep in his latest project. She couldn’t remember seeing him so happy back home. Sure he had a job he liked, fixing things, but it didn’t challenge him. Torchwood on the other hand gave him a chance to spread his wings and let that clever mind she knew he had wander about a bit and not get into to much trouble. She wandered over smiling and gently kicked the pair of legs that were sticking out from under what everyone had affectionately taken to calling “the contraption”

“Don’t tell me this things grown legs now.” She teased

“Nah,” Mickey joked back, “but it has got a northern accent that swears pretty good.”

Rose stepped back as the legs suddenly grew a torso and head. “You think you’re just so clever.” Jake pulled himself to a sitting position and glared at the two of them. “Try it now Mickey that new soder should hold it.” He brushed his hands on his coveralls as he got to his feet.

“Might want to step clear Rose, last time we tried this it nearly took the roof off.”

She simply laughed and started to walk away. “You two play I have another priority to deal with.” She made her way over to join her father and Alyce at a workstation set up in an out of the way corner when she heard the familiar sputtering of the contraption as it spun up to a start, and then just when you’d think the hunk of metal would actually do something the smell of burning ozone and flying sparks would put an end to that assumption.

“I told you the red wire not the blue one!” Mickey shouted over the sound of the fire suppression system.

“No you said blue!”

Rose shook her head, He would have loved this, she sighed. “How much longer you gonna let those two keep at it?”

Peter Tyler simply smiled. “Till they get it working, or they blow each other up. Either way it keeps ‘em outta trouble.” He turned his attention to the petite woman standing at the workstation. “Emma just finished running the last scan on the artifact.”

“You really should not allow those two to continue to waste valuable time with that useless bit of junk.”

Rose turned her attention to the woman standing impatiently before her. Emma Highland was a paper-pushing, humorless brainiac. Barely over five feet tall and with short brown hair, gray eyes, glasses that she constantly kept readjusting on her nose, a firm mouth and the temper of a porcupine, she had the ability to put anyone who ran afoul of her into a bad humor.

“Not now Emma,” Peter chilled gently, “The scans?”

Emma harrumphed and adjusted her glasses on her nose. “Well as you are already aware the artifact dates 2,000 years older than anything else discovered at the site so far. Now the components of the object are even more peculiar at first glance you would assume that they were produced here on Earth, but under the scanner we found that its composed of completely unknown particles, and the writing on the cover, well I have the translation programming working on it now and will hopefully have it translated by the morning.”

“Your program isn’t going to do any good.”

Emma flashed Rose a sharp look, “And just how would you know this Miss. Tyler?”

. “Did you bring me up here to listen to her go on all day about something she can’t hope to figure out or am I going to get to see this artifact?”

“Now wait a moment, you just can not waltz into my department and demand to see things that you don’t have the clearance to even know about Miss. Tyler.” Emma reached up and again adjusted her glasses. “I’ll have you banned from this floor if I have to…”

“Give it to her.”

Se blinked and turned, “Mr. Tyler I protest this goes against every protocol…”

Peter Tyler locked Emma into his steal gaze. “Now Ms. Highland.”

With a poisoned glare at Rose Emma turned and open the container sitting on the work surface. Rose leaned forward and with care removed the old tattered book from the padded surface of the box. The leather was wore and cracked in spots and covered in dust. The pages were yellowed with age and tattered along the edges. She ran her fingers over the cover as she attempted to memories the familiar spiral design that she had seen in only one other spot.

She carefully set the book on the table and with a deep breath opened to the first page.

“It won’t do you any good Miss. Tyler, if the program can’t translate it you have no chance of understanding the simplest marking within that book.”

“Shut it,” Rose shot back at the women. “It’s Gallifreian.” She lovingly shut the book and set it back into its box. “Alyce could you please make sure that makes it to my office in one piece.”

“What?” Emma sputtered. “No absolutely not. No artifact may be removed from the lab without my permission and you do not have it Miss. Tyler.”

“Mickey,” Pete motioned the other man over. “Will you escort Ms. Brennan up to Rose’s office.”

Mickey shoved his way past Emma and hefted the box into his arms. “Lead the way.” He flashed a charming smile at Alyce.

“Now if you will excuse me Ms. Highland I have other things to attend to.” Pete excused himself with a smile to Rose.

Emma sputtered, adjusted her glasses, and sputtered again before calling after Pete. “I will take this to the board this breach in protocol is outrageous and completely uncalled for.” She tuned her glare to Rose. “You have overstepped yourself this time Miss. Tyler. Running around like you know everything in the universe is one thing, but disrupting research on a valuable artifact that might hold to key to the Time Lords, well not even Daddy can help get you out of this.”

“Is that a threat?” Rose’s eyes narrowed. “Because if it is you better be able to follow through with it Ms. Highland.” She turned, but glanced at the other women over her shoulder. “And as for the Time Lords, you couldn’t even begin to understand.”

Emma glared as Rose walked off towards the lift. “You we’ll see Miss. Tyler, we will see.”

* * * * *

Rose nearly ran Mickey down when she entered her office; she flashed an apologetic smile at him before heading over to her desk. Alyce had already placed the reports from R&D on the object within easy reach and a fresh cup of tea Bless that women, Rose thought as she took a sip.

“Well you survived Emma I see.” Alyce smiled as she wandered in and sat a plate of small sandwiches on Rose’s desk.

“Barely,” Rose absently picked up the small meal and nibbled. “I still haven’t figured out if she’s worth all the pain.”

Alyce laughed, “No one has, but she does get the job done and her results are what keep the board happy and out of your Da’s hair.”

Rose nodded in thought. “Alyce how much does the board actually know about Time Lords?”

“Well, mostly what they know is from your accounts after you came here.” She settled her hip on the corner of Rose’s desk. “I can’t speak for what information UNIT provided before they were disbanded in the late 90’s. Your Da would know more about this then me, why not ask him?”

“I have a feeling that he knows even less than he thinks he does.” She leaned back in her chair and thought for a moment. “Does Mickey still have that backdoor into the archive?”

“Do you really want me to answer that?” Rose shook her head. “In that case how about I just take a bit of a walk and see what I might be able to find.”

“You are a gem Alyce.”

She laughed, “save it till I actually get you some answers.” She waved as she swept out of the room.

Rose took another sip of tea and set the nibbled sandwiches aside before reaching over and opening the box Alyce had brought down from R&D. She tenderly removed the book again running her hands over the aged leather. This was it her first link tactile to the Time Lords in this universe, and maybe a link to him.

“So that really from The Doctors world?”

She looked up startled to see Mickey standing in her doorway. “Well it’s the same writing that I remember seeing on the TARDIS, and as far as I know his people are the only ones who use this.”

Mickey slowly walked over to her and leaned a hip onto the desk. “So this might be a way back?”

She shook her head. “No, if it’s anything it’s just a piece of history.” She carefully opened the book to the first page and frowned.

Mickey leaned forward. “It’s blank,” He flipped to the next page. “Well that’s sort of strange.” He stood up straight and scratched his head. “Why bury a blank book?”

Rose slowly closed the book, “I don’t know.”

“You all right? You look like you saw a ghost or something.”

“Wha?” She blinked up at him, “Oh fine, just tired, think I’ll just finish up here and head out for the day.”

Mickey frowned, “You sure you’re alright?” He knew Rose far better than she thought he did, and he knew something had spooked her.

“Honest I’m fine.” She smiled softly at him. “You know how much dealing with Emma takes out of me.”

“Right,” he smiled back, far from convinced. “Look why don’t I go grab Jake and we’ll all head down to the pub for a drink. It’ll do you good to get out for a bit away from your Mum.”

“Mickey, I’d love to, but I’m really just looking forward to getting home and taking a hot bath.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, ‘sides you and Jake can catch the match without me.” She plastered her best “I’m fine smile” on her face.

He sighed. “Alright, but at least eat something today.”

She rolled her eyes, “Yes Mum, now scat before Emma comes looking for you.” She held the smile on her face until she was certain that he was gone before slowly opening the book to the first page again. The writing seemed to leap off the pages and into her mind. She shouldn’t even be able to understand the basic structure of the words, let alone read them. Something wanted her to see this.

Why Mickey hadn’t seen this she couldn’t imagine, unless it had something to do with the book being from Gallifray and her spending so much time within the psychic influence of the TARDIS. Or maybe it was simply from traveling through the vortex. She shoved these thoughts to the back of her mind, making a note to come and untangle them later. Right now she had a greater mystery in front of her.

_Time is in flux._

_The universe expands. The universe collapses. All is reborn. All dies. The Reapers sleep. The Masters pass. The circle continues without the guardians. The break expands. The universes collide. The threads unravel. The tapestry falls. All things end. All things begin. With one moment everything collides. With one life all will be changed. With one death all will be saved. With one tear the gate will be made._

_The way is shut. The key is lost. The Wander grieves. The Wolf howls. The Unborn pays. The Child cries. And only time can save them._

_Across time they sing. Across space they walk. Forever apart. Forever together. Pulled apart by the darkness of the undying enemy. Bound by paths that are yet to cross. The Wander and the Wolf lost…alone…waiting. As the tapestry unwinds around them. As time moves in its dance. There is only one way. There is only one time. There is only one chance._

_That which was healed, is now undone. The scare will crack, and the way will open. The Wolf will pass and all will be as it is meant._

_The way is shut. The key is lost. The Wander grieves. The Wolf howls. The Unborn Pays. The Child cries. And only time can save them._

_And only the Child can save time.  
_  
The book slipped from frozen hands, landing with a thud onto the desktop. Rose’s mind raced as she attempted to make sense of the images that had flashed through her mind as she read the encrypted passages. In the moment of laying her eyes upon the script her nightmares of the past month had flashed through her minds eye. Something was coming; something that wanted the Wolf, and that frightened her more than anything.

* * * * *

She was sitting in one of the overly large leather chairs when he entered the library. The dim lighting of the room added to the old world ambiance that one of his older incarnations had enjoyed so much. His Ninth self had enjoyed it since the dimness had fit into the moods he was so often embedded in. That is until Rose walked, or rather, ran into his life. After that the room had seemed oppressive in its magnificence and he had even had the TARDIS redesign it a bit to fit him more. Brighter colors, more comfy seating, and a more home feel to the room. Rose had loved it.

But now, now the room was returned to its former obviousness that tended to add to his more melancholy moods of late. He was actually surprised Martha hadn’t gone off and smacked some sense into him yet. He had been surprised when the TARDIS had led her to the gardens, that was the one place he would allow himself to let down his mask and show the world what was truly inside, but maybe the TARDIS was right, maybe it was time to tell Martha about Rose.

“So where is this mystery you need my oh so clever brain to figure out for you?” He said as he swung down into the second chair by Martha. She rolled her eyes at him. ”What?”

“You just think you’re so clever.”

“I am so clever.” He pouted.

Martha just grinned and pulled a large old leather bound book onto her lap. “I found this buried in the very back section when I was looking for that book you mentioned on New Humans.”

The Doctor reached over and plucked the book from Martha’s grip. “Well, no wonder you can’t read it, its in Gallifrayan the TARDIS won’t translate that.” He frowned.

“But I thought the TARDIS translated all languages?”

. “She doesn’t need to translate this.” He took a deep breath. “This is my language Martha, she doesn’t need to translate what I already know.”

“Alright, then what is it?”

“It’s a book.” He ducked the tossed lap pillow.

“You know what I mean.” She leaned over the arm of her chair and tapped the cover. “What does it say?” With a smile he flipped open the cover and turned his attention to the familiar geometrical writings of his home. “It says…” He froze as his mind processed the words. “That’s not possible.”

“Doctor? What is it?” Martha leaned closer concern coloring her voice.

“Where did you say you found this?” He slammed the cover shut.

“The section in the back by all the Greek scrolls that you have piled back there.” She gently touched his arm. “Is something wrong?”

He turned his face suddenly breaking into his familiar smile. “Wrong? No not at all. You just happened to find what would be considered a very dull and boring law book from Gallifray that’s all.”

She gave him a confused look. “Are you sure? I mean you were pretty tense there.”

He laughed and tossed the book onto a table. “It was the shock of suddenly remembering why I always hated to follow the rules.” He pulled her up to her feet. “Now I feel the need for a cup of tea, why don’t you go put the kettle on and I’ll put this daft old thing back where it belongs.”

“You sure your alright?” She was still far from convinced.

The Doctor nodded and shooed her. “Go on, remember two sugars oh and get the marmalade out too I could do with some toast and marmalade.”

She groaned. “You and your marmalade.”

He waited until she was gone before throwing the book open again and felt his blood run cold.

_That which was healed, is now undone. The scare will crack, and the way will open. The Wolf will pass and all will be as it is meant._

_The Bad Wolf comes…._

To Be Continued… `


	4. Chapter 4

[ ](http://s1369.photobucket.com/user/annieo7411/media/Time_zpsae6efd3c.jpg.html)

* * * * *

_  
Thump-thubthub-thump-thubthub…_

_She was floating. Awareness faded in and out of her perception. Around her light flowed like the river to the ocean. Rushing past her, caressing her skin in its warm glow. The light, the pain, was an anchor as her mind struggled to make sense of the world around her. She existed neither left nor right, neither up nor down. She simple was._

_Thump-thubthub-thump-thubthub…_

_She was drifting. In and out of her conscious mind, she floated on the tendrils of the known existence of some point tying her to a mortal world. In her mind she knew she existed outside this state of nothing. She knew she possessed a physical body, arms, legs, hearts. She knew she possessed senses, taste, touch, smell. She knew she possessed emotions, love, hate, sadness, loneliness. Simple concepts for the corporeal mind to grasp, but in the here and now she was lost._

_Thump-thubthubthub-thump--thump-thubthubthub…_

_She was dying. Around her the light grew bright until it scorched her mind into a thousand shards of pain. She screamed, or at least her mind did. Pain, burning, driving all focus from her. She pleaded, begged, cried for an end to the torment. Instead it grew. Scratching, clawing, slicing, ripping, destroying everything that she thought she knew herself to be. She fought. She struggled. She failed._

_Thump-thubthubthub-thump--thump-thubthubthub…_

_She was waiting. The oblivion that promised to claim her was near. She could feel it coming ever closer to her soul. Creeping like a mist across the marsh. It would consume her; she knew that, she accepted that, so long as it ended the pain. She longed for the ending. Around her the world convulsed. Then suddenly, it stopped._

_Thump-thubthub-thump-thubthub…_

_She was listening. A gentle, soothing rhythm worked its way past the ruminants of pain. A feeling, familiar, loving, soothing called to her. She felt the caress of another against her scorched mind. She expected pain; instead soothing, tender touches erased the memory of the burning. Softly at first, then more persistent the light dimmed, until there was nothing more than a brush of it upon her awareness._

_Thump-thubthub-thump-thubthub…_

_She was reaching. Grasping for the small thread that she knew tied her to an existence. She could feel the pull drawing her closer to love…safety…home. She understood what she needed to do, one thing so simple, yet so hard._

_Thump-thubthub-thump-thubthub…_

_She trusted. She allowed her heart to lead her to the way. She must let go of her anchor, her tie to this non-world. She must trust the calling to guide her, to keep her safe. She knew what she must do. She released her grip. She gave into the call._

_She fell…_

_Thump-thubthub-thump-thubthub…  
_

* * * * * 

The pain slashed though his mind before he heard the scream. His feet moved of there own accord while his mind quickly shunted the pain away to be dealt with later. Now he had to focus on the scream, or more importantly the one who had screamed. Of its own will his mind started running through any number of situations that could have caused the alarm, but none of them prepared him for what he found when he threw open the door to Ella’s room.   
  
The physionic wave hit him full force in the mind forcing him to step back and quickly reinforce his mental shields before he could even step into the room. Ella was on the floor convulsing in uncontrollable spasms of pain. Her eyes were open, but not seeing anything around her.   
  
He could feel the source of pain emanating from somewhere in the room, tentatively he reached out past his shields nearly blacking out at the pain that shattered through the small gap he had allowed. There on the bed, he felt it, the raw energy that had trapped Ella’s mind and now threatened to destroy her. With steps forced by mere will alone he struggled towards the pull of energy.   
  
One step…   
  
He knew there was only one way to stop what was happening to her, he had to break the link with the object, but in that action laid the danger of leaving her mind drifting in limbo with no way back to her body.   
  
Two steps…   
  
He could save her only to loose her. He knew his own physic abilities paled in comparison to what some of his people had once been able to do. He had never put much into even refining what talents he did have, and now he regretted it with every fiber of his body.   
  
Three steps…   
  
He could see the cause of the pain. Part of him wondered at how something so simple could have brought this on. Another wondered why he recognized it. Yet another wanted nothing more than to send it flying into the vortex and away from both of them.   
  
Four steps…   
  
He can reach it now; slowly…steadily he lets down his shields and allows the anguish to wash over him. He winces as he grabs the link in his mental fingers and with a forceful snap…it shatters.   
  
“Remind me never to do that again.” He muttered as he attempted to stall the current brass band that had decided to set up shop in his temporal lobe. “No more uninvited physic objects on board the TARDIS. In fact,” he glanced at the object. “How did you get onboard anyway?” He closed his eyes for a moment to focus his mind then suddenly he realized it was quiet…too quiet. Something was missing, a familiar presence in the back on his mind, gone. “Ella?” He opened his eyes and glanced behind him where she had been before he had broken the link.   
  
She was there, still now, deathly still. Her pallor was near transparent and her limbs in positions that had to be uncomfortable for her, with a gasp he goes to her and with shaking hands he reaches for the pulse spot on her neck. A beat…faint but there, he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Physically she was there, it was the mental he was concerned with now. Tenderly he swept her sweat soaked hair away from her face and placed his hands against her temples. “Hold on, I’m coming.”   
  
He fell… 

* * * * * 

_Thump-thubthub-thump-thubthub…  
  
He feels pain…cascading, washing, pouring over his very soul. He struggles through the fog of it and strengthens his anchor to his mind. Around him shards of light strike throughout the synapses of her mind. Ripping, tearing, shredding away at her. He forces all thought of his own pain aside. Instead he begins to absorb the pain from her. Bit by bit, little by little the light begins to fade. Drowning in the wake of its own power.   
  
Thump-thubthub-thump-thubthub…   
  
He feels fear…engulfing, overwhelming, absolute terror. The emotions bash against his psyche. Panic. Terror. Agonizing horror. And trapped within the roller coaster of nightmares is the one he seeks. He can feel her around him. Fighting, struggling with whatever power it is that holds her here. He reaches. She runs. He cries. She is deaf. He screams. She is lost.   
  
Thump-thubthubthub-thump--thump-thubthubthub…   
  
He feels loss…convulsing, unending, unforgiving. A childish nightmare brought to life. Alone, so alone and lost without the familiar surroundings of what she knows as her life. He can feel the weakness pounding through her mind, and he knows that she is failing in her battle. Loosing against a greater foe. He reaches, grasping for the small flicker that is her. Gently…lovingly…tenderly he calls to her.   
  
Thump-thubthub-thump-thubthub…   
  
He feels hope…softly, quietly, peacefully brush against his mind. The pain is fading. The fear is evaporating into the tendrils of nothing. The small flicker grows and he pulls it closer to him.   
  
Thump-thubthub-thump-thubthub…   
  
He feels trust…absolute, unswervable, unmatched. She waits for him. She has faith in him. He lightly brushes against her mind and instills all that she believes him to be. Safety…protector…nurturer…home…he feels her let go.   
  
Thump-thubthub-thump-thubthub…   
  
She falls…   
  
Thump-thubthub-thump-thubthub…   
  
And he is there to catch her… _

* * * * * 

Voices.   
  
Voices slashed against her mind. She struggled to regain control of the senses that seemed to have taken upon themselves the ability to overwhelm her burning mind. Sound, scrapped painfully against her ears. Touch, ripped and festered as it caressed her skin. Sight, refused to even grant her the privilege of its presence. Time, it simply stopped she was frozen in the unending spectrum of confusion. And around it all encasing her in its unrelenting claws was heat.   
  
She burned.   
  
“Need to get the fever down…”   
  
“-what happened?.”   
  
“-backlash…only way…”   
  
Voices, why wouldn’t they just leave her alone. Why must they continue to abuse her mind? A small part of her, the part that buried itself away from the pain, recognized that one voice was her father’s, but the others, strange yet they was familiar She mentally tried to reach out to her father when her body betrayed her again and she nearly screamed when the hands touched her and tried to hold down her convulsing limbs. She felt herself loosing the strength to continue fighting whatever it was that was causing the pain. She felt her mind slipping away it an attempt to escape the sensory input that raped its synapses.   
  
“Vitals dropping…”   
  
“-Loosing her…”   
  
“-need to fight!”   
  
She pulled one last time at the tether that held her to the pain and with a silent cry she let go and the darkness over took her. 

* * * * * 

Power. Untamed…waiting…wanting…calling to her. Something out of the darkness called. It wanted her. It needed her. The song compelled her; it would protect her, make the pain stop. Make the nightmares disappear. Make all things come to pass. All she needed was to give herself to the power. To allow it to become one with her, but something else, something familiar fought for her and that was when she heard it, softly at first, just a simple tickle against her memories, but growing as she became more aware of its presence. The siren call of the power disappeared in a shattering with one word.   
  
_“Ella”_   
  
_Mum…_ Her mind put a name and face to the voice that seemed to cradle her. _“Mummy?”_ Cautiously she allowed herself to be pulled away from her hidden corner.   
  
_“It’s time to wake up Ella.”_   
  
She felt arms around her, pulling her into the safety of an embrace. _“I can’t, the pain…”_   
  
_“It will fade.”_   
  
She felt fingers brush through her hair as she clung to the sensations that nearly overwhelmed her. A feeling she hadn’t felt since she was four-years-old. _“I miss you mummy.”_   
  
_“I know,”_ She felt a kiss against her cheek. _“But I’m always with you, and I always have been. Even when you don’t feel it.”_   
  
She felt love-pure unquestionable love, fill her. She clung to the emotion. Clutched to the memory of a happier time. Part of her aware that she wanted nothing more than to remain in the here and now, never to leave the comfort she had found.   
  
_“No, you need to wake up Ella. You’ve slept long enough.”_   
  
_“I don’t want to forget you!”_ She cries.   
  
_“Shhhh…I’m here. I’m always here. I will always be here. I love you Ella. Now let go.”_   
  
_“I can’t”_   
  
_“You can, let go Ella. He needs you.”_   
  
She feels her resolve fading. He needs her? How could he? He was always the one to stand tall, fight off the demons, and chase away the nightmares. She needs him, but he doesn’t need her.   
  
_“He needs you. More than you know. Let go Ella, let go and go to him.”_   
  
She feels the embrace pull away, but instead of the pain of loss crashing into take its place, she feels peace. And she knows she can let go and be safe.   
  
_“Let go and forget…”_ She floats up and allows consciousness to wash over her. _“I love you.”_

* * * * * 

The first thing she noticed when she allowed herself to float up from the depths of her mind was that she was surprised to be alive. The second was the fact that her head was killing her and if someone didn’t stop that annoying beeping she was going to get up and walk right out of here. The third was the fact that she was in no condition to even be thinking about walking let alone threatening, even mentally. By the stiffness of her muscles she’d been here awhile.   
  
_Fingers…toes…arms…legs…hearts…check…brain…hurts like hell…note to self: never do whatever it was I did again._   
  
Slowly, tentatively her senses fed information to her and she was quick to note that wherever she was it wasn’t the TARDIS. The smell was wrong, instead of bananas mixed with the fragrant oils of the TARDIS, and she still hadn’t figured out why her father insisted on banana, it was musky and almost stale. The familiar vibration was gone, replaced with a muffled thrum.   
  
She gradually opened her eyes and winced even at the small amount of light that lit the edges of the room. The walls were the wrong color; instead of the green copper of her room they were sterile white and lacked the well-known lines of the TARDIS. She caught sight of the machinery around her and noted the source of the annoying beeping. Heart monitor and a multitude of other machines surrounded the simple bed she was lying in. She felt a pulling when she tried to move her hands and found several IV lines running into both. She tried to set herself up, but found the room swimming before her eyes before she even raised her head far. She heard someone moving outside her field of vision and blinked in surprise when a very familiar face appeared.   
  
“Awake are we?”   
  
“Martha?” She asked confused. “How…where…when?” The former companion looked unchanged aside from a few more laugh lines on her face and the slight graying of her hair. She had been another constant in Ella’s life from the day she was born. She was the only one The Doctor had trusted with Rose or Ella at any time.   
  
The woman smiled as she took a moment to check IV lines and readings on some of the other machines that surrounded Ella. “To answer your questions. Your father brought you, you’re at Torchwood in Cardiff, and three days.” She sat down on the corner of the bed and sighed. “What do you remember?”   
  
“Talking to Dad in the TARDIS…” She paused and thought back over the memories. “Then waking up here.” She looked at Martha, panic filling her eyes. “I can’t remember, I’ve lost time.” She gripped at the bed sheets as the sudden loss hit her. “I can’t feel it!”   
  
“Ella calm down…” Martha reached out and placed a hand on her leg.   
  
“NO! You don’t understand I can’t _feel_ it!” She felt her lungs gasping for air and insistent beeping around her suddenly rose in pitch and rate. “It’s gone!” She blinked and felt the pain explode back into her mind. She saw Martha get flung back from the bed and a blur as someone else forced themselves into the room.   
  
“Ella, look at me!”   
  
She felt rough hands force her eyes up and she cried out at the shock of another mind forcing its way into hers. The pain grew until she felt as if her mind would explode, then gradually it decreased and in its place a calming, gentle wave of emotion replaced it. She felt tears running down her cheeks and tender fingers wiping them away. She felt the other presence in her mind drop away and with a cry fell into her father’s arms. She clutched to him anchoring herself to the one secure presence in her upside down world.   
  
“I know it’s hard right now, but I need you to focus Ella.” The Doctor pulled her away and brushed her hair from her face. “You need to get yourself under control.”   
  
She nodded and took a deep breath, slowly focusing her mind and rebuilding her shields. Gradually she felt her balance return, although not what it normally was it was an improvement over the upside down feelings that had overwhelmed her.   
  
“Better?”   
  
“A little, not so upside down now.” She smiled softly. “I’m sorry Martha.”   
  
“It’s alright, I should have expected it.” Martha smiled and squeezed Ella’s hand. “No damage done, and you just proved that you’re mentally intact.”   
  
“You sure?” Ella asked as she laid back into the pillow. “Feels like someone took a blender and chopped everything up.”   
  
“That’s a lovely picture.” The Doctor teased as he reached over and gently massaged her temples. “Next time you decided to scare me to death don’t.”   
  
Ella smiled tiredly up at him. “I don’t plan on doing that again-“ she paused and thought for a moment. “What did I do anyway?”   
  
The Doctor sighed. “I was hoping you could tell me.”   
  
Martha tapped the Doctor on the shoulder. “Enough questions for now.”   
  
“I’m fine Martha…”   
  
The Doctor smiled as Ella fought back a yawn. “No she’s right. I need to go have a talk with Jack anyway.” He stood and ruffled Ella’s mussed hair. “I’ll be back.”   
  
“I’m not tired.” Ella protested as another yawn persisted to overcome her.   
  
Martha resettled the blankets around Ella, before readjusted the IV’s before heading for the curtain. “The best thing for you right now is rest and no mental games Ella.” She waggled her finger sternly at the girl. “I mean it.”   
  
Ella grunted a reply as she cuddled back into the blankets and closed her drooping eyes. Gradually her remaining headache faded into the shadows of memory as the cradle of sleep again reclaimed her mind.   
  
Sleep came and with sleep the dreams, and with the dreams came the siren song. It pulled her, tempted her, and teased her.   
  
In the shadows the power waited. 

* * * * * 

Jack leaned back in his chair and regarded the man sitting on his desk. He should have known Monday was going to be one of those days when he walked in and Ianto, Tosh, and Owen all swarmed him with something about the Rift fluctuating during the night, Gwen informed him that the number of Weevils had increased, and then the Prime Minister ringing before he even managed a cup of coffee demanding to know what was going on with the latest developments in the current increase in alien activates near the Rift. He managed to clear up both issues and sat down with his first cup of coffee when the familiar sound of the TARDIS rematerializing nearby…in fact it sounded like it was going to land right in his lap. The next thing he knew the Doctor was stumbling out with Ella in his arms. Jack, of course, was to react and managed to get a hold of Ella before the Doctor passed out. He never did get his coffee. That was three days ago, and from the looks of it, it was going to be one of those weeks.   
  
“It doesn’t make any sense Jack.” The Doctor ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “It never should have even been able to get on board the TARDIS let alone pull Ella into a merge that deep.” He jumped up off the desk and started pacing. “The TARDIS should have detected it.”   
  
Jack sighed. “Doc you’re going to wear a hole in my floor if you keep this up.” He watched as the Doctor sat again on the desk, but jumped back up and started pacing again. “Look, once Tosh is done with the scans on that book then maybe we’ll have some answers until then why don’t you go and sit with Ella.”   
  
The Doctor paused in his pacing. “Can’t, Martha kicked me out.” He sank down into the chair in front of Jack’s desk and ran a hand through his already mussed hair. “She nearly died Jack.”   
  
Jack stood and came over to his friend and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “But she didn’t. She’s here and she’s safe now.”   
  
“You don’t understand. I was in her mind, I felt what was happening.” The Doctor looked up his eyes fearful. “It was like-well I can’t describe it. I know shocking, me, not able to come up with words. Funny that, if this wasn’t so serious I think I might even be laughing right now.”   
  
“You were in her mind?” Jack prodded the Doctor back on topic and leaned a hip against his desk.   
  
“Right, sorry.” He again ran a hand through his hair before jumping up and pacing again. “Only way I can describe it is pain, pure and unending pain, and it was consuming her.” He looked up as Martha walked in and smiled tiredly at her. “How is she?”   
  
“Sleeping at the moment.” She settled into the chair the Doctor had vacated. “You didn’t have anything to do with that did you Doctor?”   
  
He shrugged. “I might have given her a little push while I was tinkering around.”   
  
Martha nodded. “She needed it, According to the last EEG Owen did, her mind is still overactive and I don’t mean in the normal manner she inherited from you.”   
  
“Oi!” The Doctor flashed her a hurt look. “I love my mind it lights up like a Christmas tree.”   
  
Jack smiled, “Try super nova Doc.”   
  
“Jack,” Tosh popped her head into the office. “The scans are done.”   
  
The Doctor jumped up and clapped. “Great! Excellent! Wonderful!” He paused noting Tosh’s expression. “Or maybe not.”   
  
Jack motioned for Tosh to continue. “Just ignore him.”   
  
Tosh blinked and placed the book on Jack’s desk. “Well according to the scans, its nothing more than fibrous wood matter and dried animal skins.”   
  
Jack blinked. “Paper and leather? Nothing else?”   
  
Tosh nodded, “Nothing the scanners could detect no.”   
  
“What are you talking about?” The Doctor’s face was pinched in pain. “That thing is putting off enough psychic energy to knock down a Prechorian elephant, and that’s saying a lot.”   
  
“I’m sorry Doctor, but according to the test it’s nothing more than a book.”   
  
He took a step forward and growled. “Than your tests are wrong.”   
  
“Whoa easy Doc, don’t take it out on my team.” Jack placed a calming hand on the Doctor’s shoulder.   
  
“No Jack!” He shoved the hand off. “Far as I and concerned you and your team can all-“   
  
“Doctor!” Martha’s shout was echoed with a sharp slap across his face. “Jack, get that thing out of here and shielded some how.”   
  
“God my head…” The Doctor winced and stumbled under the assault.   
  
“Ianto!” Jack shouted and was never so glad that Ianto was always on alert. “Get that out of here.” He pointed to the book. “I want it secured yesterday!” He then pointed to the chair. “Doctor sit down before you fall down. Tosh run all the data through the computer again were missing something and I want to know what.”   
  
He crossed his arms and watched as everyone snapped to and within moments the room was clear aside from himself, The Doctor, and Martha. “Now what the hell was that?”   
  
“I better go check on Ella in case that thing leaked.” Martha rushed to the door. “Last thing she needs is another episode.” She pointed to the Doctor. “Watch him Jack.”   
  
Jack nodded as Martha disappeared out the door. “Doc?”   
  
“Give me a minute Jack.” His voice was muffled by his hands as he took a shuttering breath. “Need to get myself balanced.” Jack leaned back against his desk to wait as the Doctor pulled himself together. Slowly the Doctor raised his head wincing slightly. “That was most unpleasant and not something I want to do again.”   
  
“What was that?”   
  
“That,” The Doctor looked up at Jack, “was a small, and I mean small as in microscopic, taste of what Ella went through.” He locked his eyes on Jack’s “Whatever the hell that thing is it wants Ella.” 

* * * * * 

Something called to her. Drawing her from the dreamless slumber that she had fallen into. The call was nothing more than emotion, but it drew her, pulled her, tempted her. Of its own violation her body moved, hands unhooking machines and pulling out IV’s. Unsteadily she pulled herself to her feet and stumbled towards the pull of the call. It wanted her. It needed her. She went.   
  
Power sang to her blood and her blood answer the summons. She needed to touch it, to be apart of it. It teased her like a lover, dangling the pleasure just beyond her reach to draw her closer to its embrace. It would make her complete.   
  
The power called and she embraced it. 

* * * * * 

“Jack!” Gwen burst into the office. “We’ve got a major power spike in the Rift.”   
  
Both Jack and the Doctor were on their feet instantly and following Gwen out to Tosh’s station. “Tosh?” Jack leaned forward as his eyes flashed over the readings.   
  
“Whatever it is Jack its on this side of the Rift.”   
  
“You sure?” Tosh nodded. “Alright I want a full search CCTV, everything I want to know what the hell is playing with my Rift.”   
  
“Doctor!” Martha ran up. “Ella’s gone.”   
  
He spun around catching Martha’s shoulders. “What do you mean gone?”   
  
“Doctor!” The tone of Tosh’s voice pulled everyone’s attention to the screen.   
  
“What the hell?!” Jack spun and headed for the lift the Doctor right on his heels. “Martha be ready we might need you and Owen.” The lift quickly disappeared up and into the Cardiff night. As the Doctor and Jack emerged the force of the wind hit them and nearly throw them back against the water fountain. “Doctor!” Jack shouted above the cascade of noise. “We’ve got to stop her!”   
  
_Ella!_ The Doctor mentally screamed. _What have you done!_

* * * * * 

Around her the world ceased to exist. All that mattered was the siren song in her mind. Nothing else was important, this was the way to make all things right. This was her reason for being. This was her life.   
  
_Ella!_ Her father’s voice cut through the song of her mind. _What have you done!_   
  
Done? She had done nothing aside from what needed to be done. She understood now. Knew what her thread of time was. She could see it so clearly thanks to the song.   
  
_The one of the wanderer and the wolf comes. The scar will crack. The way will open. The time has come for all things to begin. For all things to end. Come Daughter of Time! Come and become what you were born to be!_   
  
_Ella listen to me! It’s lying to you. Don’t listen to it!_ Franticly the Doctor tried to force the mental connection with his daughter and for a moment felt her pause.   
  
“Doctor?!” Jack shouted as he held up his side arm ready “I don’t want to but I will shoot her if I have to!”   
  
“Jack no!”   
  
“I don’t have a choice Doc! She’s the one manipulating the Rift and I can’t let her rip it open!” Around them the winds increased and the air was electrified with power.   
  
The Doctor pushed himself forward through the wall of power that was surrounding the area. “Ella!”   
  
She was there surrounded in a golden glow. Hair standing around her like she was floating in water. Her eyes flashed golden before returning to the familiar brown he knew so well. “Listen to me Ella.” He reinforced his voice mentally. “You need to let go! Let it go Ella!”   
  
_No._ Her eyes flashed back to gold.   
  
“Step away Doctor!”   
  
_I am the light and the darkness. I am the truth and the lie. I am life through death. I am the Oncoming Storm. I am the Bad Wolf. I am the abomination._   
  
_No! You are Ella Tyler, and you need to stop this now before it’s too late!_   
  
_I am the past, the future, the present. I am what I was created to be._   
  
Jack moved trying to get a better line of fire. “Damn it Doctor move!”   
  
“Jack the readings are reaching critical!” Tosh’s voice shouted over the comms.   
  
“Doctor we’re out of time!” Jack took aim.   
  
_Ella please stop this!_ The Doctor begged. He gasped as for a moment the brown returned to her eyes.   
  
_Daddy? It burns!_ She screamed in his mind _Make it stop! Make it stop!_   
  
_Let go Ella! Let go and the pain will stop!_   
  
“Jack she’s going to rip the Rift apart!”   
  
“Doctor!”   
  
Suddenly everything stilled. Quiet encased the world as it held its breath. Ella stood on the precipice of choice. All she need to is let go and the pain would stop, but the song called her.   
  
She saw only gold.   
  
_I am the light and the darkness. I am the truth and the lie. I am life through death. I am the Oncoming Storm. I am the Bad Wolf. I am the abomination._   
  
_IELLA!!!!!_   
  
Jack fired, and the world tore apart.


	5. Chapter 5

[](http://s1369.photobucket.com/user/annieo7411/media/Time_zpsae6efd3c.jpg.html)  
  


_Now this was odd. Well, when he thought odd, he meant a bit strange…ok, maybe really strange. Now, when he says that he means…Good grief. He even rambled in his dreams. Oh, and speaking of dreams where, was he? Oh yes! This was odd…well, when he says…_

_“Do you ever shut it?”_

_Oh, now this was very interesting. Not only was he dreaming, but it seems that he was talking to himself as well…in a manner of speaking anyway. Nothing worse than a dream where you talk to yourself. Well, not really yourself, but rather your former self, but still yourself. Oh, now this was just getting confusing._

_“Well if that’s any proof no, you don’t ever shut it. How did Rose ever got a word in edgewise.”_

_Oh Rose…his Rose…wonderful Rose…sweet Rose…_

_“Yeah and you had to go and lose her didn’t you.”_

_Oh now, that was a bit harsh. Now when he thinks harsh, he really means…_

_“Oh, shut it!”_

_Now that was just rude. He doesn’t remember being that rude when he was in that incarnation. Well, maybe he was a bit rude, but not that rude. Well, there was that one time…wait a minute…_

_Rose…he lost her…_

_And then he saw it. The room, exactly as it was when he tore himself away from the sealed wall. A simple piece of steel and concrete his only connection to Rose. He couldn’t save her. He couldn’t help her. He lost her._

_“That’s right. You lost her.”_

_No, he sent her away. Sent her to safety. But Rose, stubborn, independent Rose had to come back, had to prove that she meant what she told him. She promised him forever. She promised the impossible, and part of him believed her._

_“She nearly died for us. She gave up everything for us. She loved us!”_

_He knew that, too. He knew it and he did nothing. Oh, he had his chance more than once. He could have told her, but the coward did what he always does, hid behind the facade of smiles and adventure and always trusted that he would have time._

_“Time? Now there’s a fine thought. Time for what? Time has never granted us anything but loss and pain. We always loose everything. Times Champion? Time Lord!? Ha! More like Time’s Slave. We dance to the tune she sets us and we pay the price for it. Is it worth it? Is it all worth it? Gallifrey? Romana? Rose? How much death have we left in our wake? How much more pain can we take? How much longer must we burn?”_

_Now he remembered what he was like in his last body. Full of pain, full of hate, full of guilt. He survived through it all. He had to._

_“You’re no different…”_

_Suddenly the room shifted and there she was. The pull of the vortex tore at her as one by one, Daleks and Cybermen flew by. He could hear himself yelling, telling her to hold on. Then slowly the lever began to move and he watched frozen as Rose let go and locked the lever into full position._

_“You told her a storm was coming. She promised you forever. What did you promise her?”_

_He reached for her, pleading that, for once, fate would not be so cruel as to tear away his anchor to sanity._

_“What did you promise her? Nothing!”_

_Time was against him as moment-by-moment, Rose’s grip failed and she slipped away from him. Falling, screaming, her fear washed over him._

_“You failed. You let them take her from us.”_

_No! No! No! No!…please not again. He can’t watch again!_

_“You will watch! As I watched Gallifrey burn! This is your sin! This is your demon! This is your nightmare and I hope you never escape.”_

_ROOOOOOOOOOSE!!!!_

  
* * * * *  


Head and body slamming against something hard and unyielding was not the way he had planned to wake up. Actually, he didn’t even mean to fall asleep. He didn’t remember even getting to his room. The last thing he remembered was sending Martha off to make tea and then nothing – blank. Well until his floor decided to assist in his waking.  
  
 _‘Well no use just lying here and contemplating the reasons of the universe’,_ he thought to himself as he sat up and rubbed the nasty knot that was beginning to form on the back of his head.  
  
“Doctor?” Martha’s voice carried through the door. “You alright?”  
  
“Fine, great, stupendous.” he answered as he quickly pulled himself to his feet. “Never better.”  
  
“You sure?”  
  
He could hear the disbelief in her voice. “Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked and pulled to door open, smiling brightly at her. “See, nothing wrong. I am 100% perfect.”  
  
She glanced behind him at the tatters of his bed then back to him, unconvinced. “Right,” she retorted.  
  
He flashed her a hurt look. “Would I lie to you? Ah, ah, ah!” He waggled a finger at her as she started to answer. “It doesn’t count in life or death situations.”  
  
Martha snorted. “Fine, you don’t want to talk about it, I’ll just go back to my breakfast.” She spun on her heel and walked away muttering about his ability to drive anyone to insanity.  
  
He backed into his bedroom and firmly closed the door behind him. Okay, so maybe he was a bit more bothered by what had happened then he let on. Loosing time wasn’t something that he did that often, and when it did happen it was never for the better. He ran a hand through his hair sending it into an even more disarrayed state.  
  
Think. Met Martha in the library to solve her little mystery. Sent her off to make some tea while I looked over the book… The book!  
  
He spun around as his mind suddenly connected the events of the night before, and there on the bed lay the source of his missing moments. A simple, innocent looking item, but something told him it is anything but simple or innocent. Cautiously, he approached the leather bound object on his bed, reinforcing his shields before he reached out a hand out to touch it. He closed his eyes and tensed, expecting some reaction.  
  
Nothing.  
  
He cracked it open, sighed and then pouted. “Now that’s a bit unfair,” he said to the inert book. “You’re supposed to do something. Or am I supposed to do something?” He picked the book up and looked it over carefully. “Great – it has an on/off switch and I don’t have the remote for it.” He flipped the book open and blinked in surprise when the pages that just last night had been full of words now stood blank.  
  
“Curiouser and curiouser.”  
  
He tossed the book back on his bed quickly pulled on his Converses and headed for the console room. He smiled at Martha as he scooted past her in the hall and grabbed the cup of tea she held out to him. “Thanks,” he said, gulping down the beverage and then dancing about the console.  
  
“Have to give you a rain check on visiting the Temple of Medox.”  
  
Martha sighed and settled on the jump seat. “Where we off to, then?” She grabbed the teacup from the Doctor as he danced past.  
  
“Oh, you know,” He flipped switches and gave the console a tap with the mallet. “Somewhere, nowhere, everywhere.”  
  
“Doctor, the last time you said that, we ended up stuck up to our necks in mud with the entire population of Wexlon 5 betting on which of us would die first.”  
  
He paused in his dancing and gave her a playful pouting look. “Well, I did promise you a mud bath.”  
  
Martha snorted. “You promised me a planet with the best day spa in the galaxy. I’m beginning to wonder if you even know how to drive this thing.” She teased.  
  
“I’ll have you know that I was top of my class,” he pointed out, then grinned as the TARDIS began to materialize. “And here we are.”  
  
“And where is here?” Martha asked as she followed the Doctor to the door. She stepped out and glanced around. “Doctor?”  
  
He grinned as he stepped out beside her. “Wait for it.”  
  
“What the hell are you doing here?” The Doctor turned and smiled at the man behind him. “Hello, Jack. You remember Martha.” 

  
* * * * *  


Rose Tyler loved a good mystery at times. She loved puzzling out the clues and hints that were left behind. This however was not one of those times that she enjoyed the conundrum before her. She had stopped glancing at the clock when it had read 2 AM, but refused to give up on trying to figure out the cryptic message that the now ever so hated book had given her. She knew deep down that she might be playing too much into it, but another part of her screamed for her to unravel the twisted strings in front of her and learn what was hidden within.  
  
There were times Rose Tyler hated a good mystery.  
  
Morning sunlight streaking through her window was the first hint she allowed that she had spent the entire night staring at the dusty pages. She leaned back in her chair and ran a hand through her hair in frustration. This had gotten annoying and that just made her dig her heels in harder to try and figure out what was going on. “Bloody thing’s probably laughing at me,” she muttered as she started flipping again through the blank pages.  
  
“You look like hell.”  
  
Rose jumped and glanced up toward the door. “What are you doing here?”  
  
Alyce laughed lightly as she entered with two cups of coffee. “You Da called and told me I better pop in and make sure you were still alive. That and I thought you might like a little pick-me-up.”  
  
Rose smiles tiredly at the cup of coffee Alyce set in front of her. “What time is it anyway?” she asked just before taking a grateful sip.  
  
Alyce settled into the chair in front of Rose’s desk and took a sip from her own cup. “Near 5:30, and don’t look guilty about me being here. I was up anyway.”  
  
Rose slumped forward on her desk. “Maybe I’m going insane.”  
  
“We work for Torchwood,’ Alyce jokingly pointed out. “Of course we’re insane.” She sat her cup on the desk and leaned forward, an impish smile spreading across her face. "Any luck with the bloody book or should we just use it for target practice?"  
  
Rose shook her head. “Nothing. I’m not even sure what I was looking for to begin with.”  
  
“Oh, target practice it is then.” Alyce leaned over and grabbed the book up flipping through the pages. “I was thinking of that new flame thrower the boys in R &D came up with. We could just BBQ it a bit.”  
  
Rose blinked and stared blankly at Alyce before breaking into a laugh. “Thanks, I needed that.”  
  
“I know,” She sat the book back on the desk. “I know you want answers, but it’s not all going to come to you if you keep forcing.”  
  
Rose sighed, “I’ve been going about this all wrong.” She stood and started to pace. “Something triggered it. But what?”  
  
“Could it have been the scanner when R&D had it?”  
  
She shook her head, “No, it was blank when Emma examined it in the lab.” She ran a frustrated hand through her hair “Nothing happened until it was here. In this office.”  
  
Alyce tapped a finger thoughtfully on her chin. “What could you have in here that could possibly trigger a reaction from it this afternoon, but not now?”  
  
“I don’t know…” She paused in her pacing. “No it can’t be that simple.”  
  
“What?” Alyce asked as Rose rushed to her desk and pulled out a simple box. “Rose?”  
  
“It was sitting on my desk when I looked at the book.” She carefully opened the box and pulled out along chain to which a key was attached, a key that was glowing golden. “That’s it.”  
  
“What the…!” Alyce jumped to her feet and with speed that contrasted her normal calm manner she dove across the desk sending the contents crashing to the floor, yanking the key from Rose’s hand, and shoving Rose away. “Out now.” Her usual quiet tone now sharp as a knife, her eyes calm and calculating.  
  
“It’s alright Alyce.”  
  
She turned slightly. “I said out, Ms. Tyler.” Her tone demanded action and not question. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a portable scanner that she ran over the key. “And remain out until I say otherwise.”  
  
“No,” Rose’s brown eyes locked with Alyce’s green. “What’s the scanner say?” She asked calmly.  
  
Alyce frowned at the readings. “It’s clean.” She relaxed slightly and put the scanner back in her pocket.  
  
“It’s harmless.” Rose held out a hand waiting.  
  
Alyce glanced from the glowing key to Rose’s hand and with a reluctant sigh returned it. “For the record, this is against my better judgment.”  
  
Rose closed her hand around the key and held Alyce’s eyes for a moment longer. “Yeah? Well, for the record, I don’t give a damn what you think.” She turned and moved back to her desk, stepping over the items strewn across the floor.  
  
“I’m doing my job…”  
  
Rose spun around key still clutched in her hand. “And I’m doing mine.” She pulled the book to her and flipped open the pages.  
  
Alyce stepped forward. “Just promise me one thing.”  
  
“What?” Rose snapped.  
  
“If you’re planning on giving me a heart attack, at least wait until after I’ve finished my coffee.”  
  
Rose smiled slightly then turned her attention to the book. “It’s working.”  
  
 _Across time they sing. Across space they walk. Forever apart. Forever together. Pulled apart by the darkness of the undying enemy. Bound by paths that are yet to cross. The Wanderer and the Wolf. Lost…alone…waiting. As the tapestry unwinds around them, as time moves in its dance, there is only one way. There is only one time. There is only one chance.  
  
That which was healed, is now undone. The scar will crack and the way will open. The Wolf will pass and all will be as it is meant.  
  
The way is shut. The key is lost. The Wanderer grieves. The Wolf howls. The Unborn pays. The Child cries. Only time can save them.  
  
The way once shut shall shatter. The scar shall break. The Child of Time will light the way. The way is set. The Wolf and Wanderer shall be one. That which was broken shall be healed. The time is now.  
  
The Bad Wolf returns._  
  
“That makes no sense,” Alyce sighed as she leaned back from reading over Rose’s shoulder. “It’s like a riddle and a bad one at that.”  
  
Rose gently set the book back on her desk. “Scar,” She leaned back in her chair, hand still clutching the key as she thought. “It keeps mentioning a scar.” She shakes her head. “No, you’re right. It doesn’t make sense.”  
  
“Maybe you should give that thing back to R &D and forget you ever found it.”  
  
Rose shook her head. “Too late to forget about it…” She broke off as her phone rang. She picked up the receiver.  
  
“Tyler... What!? … How long ago?” She spun around to her computer and quickly typed in some commands. “I want transport standing by in twenty minutes.” She hung up the phone. “Alyce, get the team in,” she ordered as she stood and placed the chain with the key over her neck. She then grabbed her sidearm from the desk drawer and grabbed her long leather jacket. “We’re going on a little trip.”  
  
Alyce looked up from the phone as she sent out the single to the beepers. “Where?”  
  
Rose pulled on her jacket and holstered her gun. “Control is picking up a major increase in energy output from site Alpha.”  
  
“Alpha? Isn’t Dr. Quinn and his team supposed to be running a simulation there tonight?”  
  
“Yeah and it looks like things are getting out of hand.”  
  
Alyce’s eyes widened in shock, “That means…”  
  
Rose nodded. “We’re going to Cardiff.” 

* * * * *

There were times Jack wished he could take his fist and wipe out the arrogant, smug, all-knowing smile that flashed across the Doctor’s face. He’d agreed that the Doctor was welcome to drop into Cardiff whenever the TARDIS needed to refuel at The Rift, but hadn’t expected to walk into the hub and find the TARDIS parked near his office. Thankfully, the team was off on a mission so he was spared having to explain this to them. “What the hell are you doing here?” he repeated.  
  
“Oh now, what kind of welcome is that?” the Doctor asked, his smile crumpling. “Here I was hoping for tea and…”  
  
“Doctor,” Martha sighed, “maybe now’s not the best time.”  
  
The Doctor kicked a bit of rubbish on the floor and muttered something that sounded like ‘never let me have any fun’, before bouncing on the balls of his feet and turning his attention fully on Jack. “I’ll probably kick myself for saying this later, but I need your help.”  
  
Jack pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning against. “That’s a first.” He motioned them towards his office. “Let me just make a note of this so I can refer to it later.”  
  
The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Humans.”  
  
“Time Lords.” Jack countered.  
  
“Men,” Martha huffed, setting the leather bound book on Jack’s desk.  
  
Jack looked down at the object then back to Martha and the Doctor. “It’s a book.”  
  
“Oh it’s a bit more than that, Captain.” The Doctor perched on the edge of Jack’s desk. “I’m just not sure what.”  
  
“Can you be a little more specific, Doc?”  
  
“Of course I can, but then you wouldn’t understand any of it.”  
  
“Look,” Martha stepped forward, stalling Jack’s retort. “Would you two stop lobbing testosterone around long enough to figure this out, or do I have to send you to corners and tell you to come out swinging?” She caught each with a look and waited a moment for them to back down. “That’s better,” she said with a smile. “Now, Captain, can you help or not?”  
  
“Sure, I can help, but only if I have some idea of what the hell this thing is supposed to be.”  
  
“Doctor?” Martha turned her stare to him. “I’d like to know that myself.”  
  
The Doctor jumped up off the desk and began to pace back and forth across the limited space of Jack’s office. “It’s a psychic sponge.”  
  
Martha blinked confused. “Sponge?”  
  
“No, wait not a sponge…more like a storage battery.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Like a great big, colossal, super duper, extra large…super sized…oh chips sound good. Feel like chips Martha?” He paused in his pacing. “No wait, never mind more important things. Anyway, storage battery, and right now whatever it’s storing is starting to draw power, and psychic energy at that. At least it was.”  
  
“Was?”  
  
“Last night when Martha asked me to look at it, I could sense that it was pulling psychic energy into itself.” The Doctor pointedly tapped the book. “Now, however, I’m not getting so much as a tickle.”  
  
“So it turned itself off?” Martha asked.  
  
The Doctor nodded. “And I can’t seem to find the on switch.”  
  
“Doc,” Jack interrupted. “what exactly is this thing storing?”  
  
“As far as I can tell, aside from the energy its been pulling in, there’s a consciousness embedded in it.”  
  
Jack leaned back in his chair. “Any idea who?”  
  
The Doctor shook his head. “All I’ve been getting are little glimpses out of the corner of my mind’s eye. Just enough to let me know something is there but not enough for me to know what it is, or why for that matter. There always a why, you know…”  
  
“Wait,” Martha broke in, forcing the Doctor to pause. “You’re saying that this book is alive?”  
  
“Not in the sense as humans understand life no, but in the mental sense,” The Doctor’s face filled with his familiar grin. “Oh yes, it’s very much alive.”  
  
“Is it dangerous?” Jack asked his eyes moving from the book to the Doctor.  
  
The Doctor scratched the back of his head, “Well…I wouldn’t say dangerous in the end of the world type danger…”  
  
“Doctor…”  
  
“Not now, Martha. No, I wouldn’t even say imploding the universe danger, maybe a tiny little smidgen of not really real danger.”  
  
Jack frowned. “You don’t know, do you? That was a statement, by the way, not a question.”  
  
Martha glanced back down at the open book. “Doctor, I really think you should…”  
  
Ignoring Martha, the Doctor replied, “Jack, it’s nothing more than a psychic amplifier with an unknown embedded consciousness that seems to be harmless. Well, reasonably harmless.” He pulled his glasses up to the top of his head.  
  
“Unknown is the key word there, Doc,” Jack’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. “And I am not taking chances that it might be harmless. You said that it’s pulling energy into itself.” Jack waited for the Doctor’s nod. “Well, I’m wondering why would it need to pull in energy? What’s it trying to do?”  
  
“It’s writing.”  
  
The Doctor and Jack both turned towards Martha as her voice finally broke through. She pointed down to the now glowing book and all three watched as slowly words appeared in golden script across the page.  
  
 _It has come.  
  
The time of the Wolf and the Wanderer draws near. The way once shut shall shatter. The scar shall break. The Child of Time will light the way. The way is set. The Wolf and Wanderer shall be one. That which was broken shall be healed. The time is now.  
  
The border between worlds shifts. The Universe merges. The way through Hell opens. One step, one choice, one thought. The separate paths become one. The Wolf and the Wanderer. The Lost and the Lonely. Time shall heal all.  
  
The Wolf comes.  
  
_ “Can you feel it?” The Doctor’s voice, though in a whisper, seemed to shout out in the silent room. “It’s coming.”  
  
Martha reached out and grabbed his arm. “What? What’s coming?”  
  
Jack spun round as the computer on his desk suddenly started beeping madly. He dove into his chair and quickly typed in the commands. “Shit, Doc The Rift just went active.” He frantically typed in more commands as his eyes scanned the current readings from The Rift. “Power’s climbing and climbing fast.”  
  
Martha’s grip increased on the Doctor’s arm as the ground began to shake. “That can’t be a good sign.”  
  
“It’s going to open.” Jack said and flashed a worried look at the Doctor. “The Rift’s going to open.”  
  
“I know.” The Doctor replied in a calm voice. “She’s coming.”  
  
Martha glanced over at Jack. He shrugged in response. “Doctor!” Martha had to shout to be heard over to increasing noise. “Who’s coming?!”  
  
The Doctor looked down at Martha his brown eyes a mix of pain, sorrow, and hope. “The Bad Wolf.” 

  
* * * * *  


Zeppelins. She never quite understood why it was Zeppelins, but who was she to argue with the rules of parallel universes and their need to be the same, yet different. So far, the supposedly short flight was taking twice as long due to the havoc The Rift’s energy was playing with the local weather system. The pilots had to find ways around storm systems that sprang up in front of them.  
  
Rose Tyler had always considered herself to be patient when she needed to be. Right now, at this very moment, she didn’t feel the need. Relentlessly, her fingers tapped out a rhythm that had somehow caught in a loop through her mind. She figured it was either this or asking if they were there yet every five minutes. She decided to choose the latter. Behind her, she could hear Mickey and Jake going over the current readings from The Rift in Cardiff and part of her mind assimilated the information while the other kept nagging her to tell them to move faster. No, patience was not on the agenda for today.  
  
“Unless you’ve got good news, I don’t want to hear it.” Rose said without moving her eyes from her drumming fingers.  
  
Alyce sighed and sat in the seat next to Rose. Gone was her normal office attire of skirt, blouse, and heels and in its place was black leather pants and dark pullover covered with a knee length coat, dark boots, and probably more hidden weapons than Rose really wanted to think about. “If it makes you feel any better, we should be landing in less then ten.”  
  
The drumming stopped. “And?”  
  
Alyce placed a new set of print outs in Rose’s reach. “A ten block area’s been cleared of civilians. Local law enforcement has set up the road blocks and are standing by in case and the Cardiff team is currently at the location and monitoring activity. Air traffic has been diverted and a no-fly zone is in effect.”  
  
Rose nodded, her fingers absently beginning to tap again. “And the book?” She hadn’t wanted to leave it behind, but she couldn’t take a chance that it would cause more trouble than it already had if she brought it closer to the Rift.  
  
“According to Dr. Highlands current readings.” Alyce said as she passed another printout over, “it’s still pulling in power from somewhere, but it’s only increasing at 10% now instead of 50%.”  
  
She turned her seat slightly and glanced back at Mickey and Jake. “And The Rift?”  
  
Mickey looked up from his computer. “Latest readings have its activity at 30% above norm and increasing approximately every twenty minutes, give or take a second.”  
  
“If this keeps up ETA of a breach in The Rift is 6-7 hours.” Jake added after rechecking some readouts. “But, that’s only if the increase remains constant.”  
  
“In other words,” Rose observed, “this could blow up in our face.” She felt herself tense as the pitch in the engines changed.  
  
“Sorry about the delay,” The pilot’s voice cut over the load speakers. “ETA at Torchwood Cardiff, two minutes.”  
  
“About bloody time.” Rose muttered under her breath and quickly gathered up the pile of handouts and shoved them into her case. She then turned her attention to her team. “Once we’re ground-side, I want Mickey and Jake to hook up with Cardiff’s crew and compare readings. Sam,” she said as she turned to the head of her security team. “you go and back up the local law. You know the drill.”  
  
Sam nodded. “Standard perimeter should be easy enough. What about press?”  
  
“Usual release will cover for now.” Rose replied. She then frowned and fixed her eyes on her team. “This is a mauve situation. Am I clear?” The quick echoing responses of ‘yes ma’am’ were all she needed and with a nod, she dismissed her team. She felt the familiar jolt as the zeppelin settled into its landing cradle and without a backward glance, she grabbed her jacket and headed for steps, trusting her team to carry out their orders.  
  
Cardiff had never been her favorite spot, not even in the other Universe. It was hard to find enjoyment in a city that seemed to cause her nothing but grief. From Gelth that wanted to kill her so they could take over her body, Slitheen that plotted to cause a nuclear holocaust just to get home, to The Rift that seemed to exist to generate headaches for her. Cardiff…nope, not on her top ten spots to visit.  
  
The wind hit her as she stepped away from the protection of the zeppelin and into the open airfield. She glanced up and the darkening sky and shivered as she felt the power emanating in the air. It was something familiar, like from a dream. She could remember light burning, the paths of time stretched out before her.  
  
 _I can see everything. All that is. All that will be. All that was.  
  
That’s what I see, but doesn’t it drive you mad.  
  
But why does it hurt?_  
  
She could hear singing and she knew it was a song she had heard before, but couldn’t place where.  
  
 _There was singing. That’s right. I sung a song and the Daleks ran away. You were fantastic. And you know what…so was I._  
  
“Rose?”  
  
She blinked and looked down at the hand Alyce had placed on her shoulder. “Sorry?”  
  
Alyce frowned. “You alright?”  
  
“Fine.” She took a deep breath, shoving the memories back down. “Come on, we’ve got a job to do.” Her steps were full of purpose and she could feel herself being drawn towards whatever it was that was calling her.  
  
“Am I glad to see you.”  
  
Dr. Ian Quinn, head of Torchwood Cardiff, nearly fainted in relief at seeing Rose and her team walk off the lift into the hub. “We thought you might not be able to get through with the weather patterns.”  
  
Rose nodded a greeting, but her eyes were only for the stats flashing across the computer screens. “We’re here now. Where can my team set up?”  
  
“Conference room.” Ian replied, waving to the open room behind him. “If you need…”  
  
“No thanks, Mate.” Jake waved him off as he and Mickey moved past. “We can do it ourselves.”  
  
“Actually, get someone to grab the rest of that gear and bring it in.” Mickey added as he moved past.  
  
“Yes, of course.” Ian replied, then returned his attention to Rose. “Ms. Tyler, I realize that you’re here to observe and I will be happy to share the information we have managed to amass since the phenomenon began. But, I do need to request that not interfere with the current experiments. ”  
  
“No,” Rose responded, turning and facing Ian for the first time. “As of now, my team’s in charge. Your team is to back us up as needed and contain the civilians. All experiments are to stop and no one is to attempt any manipulation of The Rift”  
  
“But my team’s research…”  
  
“Takes a backseat to what’s happening now” she snapped and turned back to the screens. “You screwed up and it’s my job to figure out how to fix it without blowing the universe up.”  
  
Alyce stepped forward, placing herself between Rose and Ian. “I suggest you go and do as your told,” she quietly told Dr. Quinn. As the scientist stalked away, she turned to Rose. “So, what’s the plan?”  
  
“The plan is to shut down whatever it is they have feeding power to The Rift.”  
  
“And?”  
  
“And, like I said earlier, hope the Universe doesn’t blow.”  
  
Alyce shook her head. “I was afraid you were going to say that.” 

* * * * * 

“Who’s the Bad Wolf?” Martha shook the Doctor’s arm and was contemplating slapping him to knock him out of the blank stare, when suddenly he blinked and looked at her the familiar smile spreading across his face. “Doctor?”  
  
“Right where was I?” He thought for a moment and pulled his glasses back onto his nose. “Oh wait, I remember now.”  
  
“Can you hold that thought, Doc? “Jack interrupted. “We’ve got a bigger problem right now.” He grabbed a hold of his desk as the ground shook. “The Rift.”  
  
The Doctor nodded. “The Rift. Right.” He turned to Martha. “Come on. Upstairs for us.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him.  
  
Martha lengthened her strides to keep up with the Doctor. “What’s this Rift? And who’s Bad Wolf?”  
  
“The Rift is nothing more than an opening to the void. It comes in handy when the TARDIS needs a bit of a top off, although, it can be pretty nasty if it gets out of control. Nearly blew up Cardiff once because of that Rift.” The Doctor glanced back at her in surprise as the rest of her question caught up with him. “Bad Wolf, is…was actually someone who saved my life once.”  
  
He pulled her out of the lift behind him and froze at the sight of the energy vortex dancing in the nighttime sky of Cardiff. Martha held tight to his hand as the wind picked up and the crack seemed to slowly spread across the sky. “That can’t be good.”  
  
“Doctor!” Jack’s voice piped over the comm unit he didn’t even remember grabbing. “If the readings are right, something’s going to break through from the other side.”  
  
“Can we stop it?” The Doctor glanced down at Martha and she caught her breath at the look in his eyes. “Can we stop it?”  
  
His answer was simple. “No.” 

  
* * * * *  


“It’s going to breach!” Mickey’s shout stopped the current argument that had been going on between Rose and the Cardiff staff. “Mass is at critical.”  
  
“Right,” Rose turned and headed for the lift. “Can we kill it if we stop the power feed?”  
  
“Negative.” Jake’s voice was strained. “Even if you cut it off completely the Rift’s got too much built up to dissipate before it cracks.”  
  
Rose ignored Alyce as she pushed into the lift before the doors closed. “Sam, get everyone clear of here, fast as you can.”  
  
“Already working on it.” Sam’s voice could barely be heard over the background nose outside. “Although most of ‘em took off when it started going to hell.”  
  
The doors opened at the top floor and Rose was forced back by the strength of the wind that pounded into the lift. Their ears were assaulted by a high-pitched whine that made all of them cover their ears quickly. Above them, lightening flashed across the sky and a small crack slowly grew spreading its blinding white light as it did so. Rose stepped out of the protection of the lift and fought against the wind as she pushed forward. Around her the singing she had until this moment heard only in her mind wrap her into its embrace as she moved towards The Rift.  
  
“Rose! What are you doing?” Alyce shouted to be heard over the wind. “Rose!”  
  
Slowly, so slowly, Rose turned back.  
  
“I am the Bad Wolf.”  
  
Alyce froze at the woman before her. Gone was the familiar brown eyes in their place rose golden light.  
  
“I am the Bad Wolf.” Rose repeated and turned away, stretching out her arms to The Rift. “I create myself. I wander alone.” She stepped forward. “Now I see the path.”  
  
“It’s open.” Jake shouted over the comm. “I repeat, the Rift is open!”  
  
Alyce forced herself forward and reached out to grab for Rose. She felt her fingers brush against fabric and gripped with all her strength. Around her the wind tore at her, pulling at Rose, trying to rip her away from Alyce’s failing grip.  
  
“Let me go home.”  
  
Alyce looked up at the voice that was pleading, the eyes begging. In horror, she watched, as time seemed to slow. Gradually, her fingers loosened and Rose slipped away.  
  
“Thank you.” Rose said quietly, then without a backward glance, she threw her arms out and jumped. 

  
* * * * *  


Jack was frantic as he fought to gain some control over the power emanating from the Rift. So far, it was a loosing battle, but he was never one to throw up his hands in defeat. So, the more power that built up, the more he fought it until there was nothing more he could do.  
  
“This is it!”  
  
It was all the warning he could give the Doctor and Martha topside and he hoped that it was enough for them to get clear. Around him, he felt the air grow heavy and the pressure build. Then suddenly, as if someone had released a valve, it stopped. He glanced down at his computer and blinked, baffled at the readings now appearing.  
  
“Doctor, can you hear me? he yelled over the comm unit. “I don’t know what the hell is going on, but it’s stable again. Just like that. Did you hear me? Doctor?”  
  
Martha’s voice answered him. “Jack, you need to get up here.”  
  
Jack didn’t waste time with questions. He grabbed his sidearm and headed up to the Millennium Center. He kicked aside several objects that had been blown into the open courtyard of the center and skidded to a stop next to Martha. “Where’s … ?”  
  
Martha pointed to the spot where The Rift had so recently been consolidating its power. “There was this light,” she explained, “and then suddenly everything stopped and she was there.”  
  
The Doctor knelt on the ground clutching the body to him. Jack’s breath caught when he saw the locks of blond hair. “It can’t be. It’s impossible” He took a shaking step forward and fell to his knees beside the Doctor. “Oh, my God…”  
  
“Rose.” The Doctor whispered as he rocked her. “Rose.”  
  
She wasn’t breathing.


	6. Chapter 6

[ ](http://s1369.photobucket.com/user/annieo7411/media/Time_zpsae6efd3c.jpg.html)

Time stills…

For a single moment in the eternity of the Universe everything froze. Suns ceased to expand, Stars stalled in their birth, planets paused in their orbits, and life simply stopped.

On the third planet, that circles a single sun, in a galaxy no different from the millions of others that teamed with life throughout the expansion of stars, a battle raged, and with this battle rested the fabric of time.

In her mind Ella screamed in rage at the power that contaminated her very essence. She understood what the power wanted, but she knew to grant the demand would mean death to everything. Yet, to not grant would mean her own demise into the unknown.   
__

_I am the light and the darkness. I am the truth and the lie. I am life through death. I am the Oncoming Storm. I am the Bad Wolf. I am the abomination.  
_

Thoughts, those not her own escaped before she could wrestle control back from the power. Alone, weakening, and afraid she struggled to regain her balance. Gradually she began to loose ground to the power. It overwhelmed her already strained and shattered defenses forcing her to retreat further into her subconscious. Around her the power flared and rose up tearing through her shields like a sword through flesh.

She was power. She was might. She was Time itself. She held the Universe in the palm of her hand and with a single thought she could rip it from existence. She could sweep a hand across the vastness of stars and erase everything that had ever been, everything that would ever be, and everything that is. She played, like an uncaring child, roughly with the power she controlled. She was everything.

_No! You are Ella Tyler, and you need to stop this now before it’s too late!_

Ella Tyler? Familiar emotions floated up from the depths of her mind. Yes, she knew that name. Yes, she knew the one who spoke it. For a brief moment the power faded and the one known as Ella screamed in defiance. But the power pushed and Ella fell.

_I am the past, the future, the present. I am what I was created to be._

She was Iella, the child born of Time. The one meant to unwind the tapestry of all. She was death. She was life. She was the Creator. She was the Destroyer. She was power.

There-the power that called to her, pleading for release, around her mortal body wind tore at her sending shards of gravel and sand into her skin. Power built, singing in her psyche. Then with a simple twist of her mind the scar ripped open and power engulfed her. Within her something screamed in terror as the part that was Ella was overtaken as one-by-one her barriers fell.

_I am the light and the darkness. I am the truth and the lie. I am life through death. I am the Oncoming Storm. I am the Bad Wolf. I am the abomination._

She was all this and more. She was invincible. She was…in pain.

The power faded as blackness overtook her mind. Pain now controlled her. Pain now released her. Pain was her savior, and in her last thought she begged she would never wake.

  
* * * * *  


The world stood silent. Pausing in time to regain the breath torn away by the storm that had so recently held the world in its iron grip. Around, lightening flashed as residual energy coursed across the sky. Slowly, gradually the world let out a breath and the clouds above broke allowing a light drizzle to fall and disperse the last of the built up power.

Below the falling rain, kneeling on the rough concrete of the Millennium Center a figure clutched another hidden among the shadows. A third figure stood apart, almost as if afraid to intrude on the shadows. Even the now falling rain wouldn’t draw the figures from the spot.

Jack glanced behind as he heard running footsteps approaching and held an arm out to stall Owen’s rush forward. “Just wait.”

Owen shook his wet hair from his face. “What the hell happened Jack?”

Jack sighed, “I wish I knew, at least nothing came through the Rift.”

“That we know of.” Owen added. “How long are you going to leave him there?”

Jack was about to answer when the shadow suddenly moved and lifted the one he clutched into his arms. “Owen treat her and then I want her in a containment cell.” Jack turned

“He’s not going to like that.”

Jack spun on his heels. “I don’t give a damn what he likes. Until I know what the hell is going on she’s to be considered dangerous.” Owen nodded, “I want a report ASAP.”

“Do what I can.” Owen replied obscenely as his attention turned to the girl in the Doctor’s arms.

Jack’s blue eyes caught the Doctor brown and held them for a moment and the silent message passed. He did what he had to do, the Doctor understood, there would be time for sorting later. Jack held the Doctor’s eyes until he was lowered into the dome of the Hub and then and only then did he start to shake.

  
* * * * *  


“What the hell?” Tosh blinked in confusion at the new readings that scrawled across her screen. “It’s stopped.”

“What do you mean stopped?” Gwen asked as she came up behind Tosh. “Two seconds ago it was ready to rip itself apart.”

“I know. It’s like someone went and flipped a breaker or something.” Tosh typed some commands into the computer. “Power readings are normal. It’s like nothing happened.”

Gwen reached over and flipped on the CCTV feed. “Oh it happened.” She shook her head at the current condition of the Millennium Center. “Owen’s on his way back down.” She commented as she watched him go running past the cameras.

Tosh mumbled a reply as she focused her attention on the program she was running. “Well, if anything came through it wasn’t in our time line.”

“That’s a mixed blessing.” Martha said as she entered the control center. “One less thing to worry about at any rate.” She turned as she heard the lift descending behind her. “Bloody hell!” She rushed forward as the lift touched down and the Doctor stepped off with Ella clutched in his arms. “What the hell happened?” She demanded as she ripped open Ella’s shirt and quickly applied pressure to the wound.

Gwen hastily handed Martha a sterile dressing from the first aid pack. “How bad is it?”

“I don’t know yet.” She leaned Ella forward slightly to glance at her back. “Through-and through, at least the bullets out.” She applied a dressing to the exit wound as well. “Doctor?” She glanced up at him.

The Time Lord stood stock still, his face impassive, his eyes burning. “Just help her.” His voice was calm, and Martha knew from past experience that he was holding back the storm. Gently he passed Ella over into Martha’s arms. “I trust you.” He turned and brushed past Owen as he exited the main entrance and headed back above ground.

“Right,” Martha turned and headed to medical with her charge followed by Owen. “It looks like it missed most of the vital vessels and tissues.” She absently commented as she settled Ella on the exam table and gently removed the dressings. “Bullet’s out so no worries there, and the bleeding in under control now.” She glanced up at Owen. “I can handle this. Just get her stitched up and back into bed.”

Owen leaned back against the white wall. “Sorry its patch her up and into a containment cell.”

“What?” Martha’s eyes flashed in anger.

“Orders,” Owen pushed off the wall and walked over examining the injury himself. “Jack wants her confined until we figure out what the hell is going on.”

“She’s just a kid.”

“And she damn well nearly tore the Rift open!” Owen reined in his temper. “Look I’ll take care of this, why don’t you go and help the civilians up top.” He pulled on a pair of sterile gloves.

“No,” Martha stood her ground. “The Doctor asked me to take care of her and I’ll be damned if I’ll let you take that trust from me.” She reached over and picked up the suture and hemostats.

“Fine,” Owen raised his hands in surrender. “So long as she ends up where she’s supposed to I don’t care.”

Martha ignored him as she bent her attention to the task at hand.

  
* * * * *  


With a sigh of relief Jack finally turned away from the last of the local law enforcement teams that had been sent in to help with the clean up. He nodded to Ianto, who was currently filling in the mass of press that had arrived with his usual calm manner. So far the cover story of an unknown explosive device was working and luckily no civilian causalities were reported. The damage was going to take time to clean up, and he wouldn’t be surprised if the Prime Minister was already on the phone demanding answers that Jack just didn’t have.

Something about this whole situation wasn’t adding up in Jack’s mind. Yes he knew Ella was telepathic, hell she was speaking with her mind before she could actually talk, he smiled fondly at the memory, but she had never been extremely strong at it. In fact the Doctor had once commented that his people would have considered her pretty much “mind-deaf” and aside from the mental link she had to the TARDIS and him, she was extremely limited on her abilities. So Jack needed answers, and he knew whom he could get them from. Now all he had to do was find the Doctor.

He managed approximately six more steps before he saw the object of his current search approaching him. He motioned the Doctor over to one of the command posts that had been set up by the local police and quickly cleared the tent of occupants. He watched the Doctor as he entered and held back a shiver at the blood that coated the front of his suit. Jack had seen the look on the Doctor’s face only once before, and he had hoped he would never have had to see it again. Last time they thought Rose was dead and someone else was the victim of that look. This time it was Jack.

“Doctor…”

“Don’t.” His voice was hard, “you’re not sorry, and I don’t want to hear what excuse you thought up.”

Jack crossed his arms. “Actually I don’t apologize for doing my job. As for excuses you didn’t give me much of a choice in what I had to do. Someone had to stop her and you didn’t, so it was up to good ol’ Uncle Jack to do it.”

“I would have stopped her, if you had given me another second…”

“Another second and she would have ripped the planet apart.” Jack took a step forward, “I had a choice stop one or let her kill an entire planet. Choice was pretty simple”

“There. Was. Another. Way.” The Doctor stepped forward with each word, his anger building. “

Jack stood his ground. “Then what where you waiting for?”

The Doctor blinked as he processed the question. “She would have stopped.” Even to him the statement sounded false.

“Well you see Doc, I’m not so sure about that.” He held up a hand stalling any comments. “Can you look me in the eye and swear that she would have let go if I hadn’t fired? From where I was standing she wasn’t backing down, and I don’t give a shit about their being another way.” He locked the Doctor with his blue eyes. “Whatever you had planed didn’t work, did it.” Jack watched as emotions flashed across the Doctor face, anger…guilt…fear…all so fast that if he had not been paying attention he would have missed it and then like someone released a valve the tension snapped. “Doctor…”

“Something’s happening Jack.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before tugging at an ear. “And I have no idea what it is.”

Jack leaned back against a table waiting for the Doctor to continue.

“It’s like something’s gone and super charged her telepathy.” He spun and began pacing. “A month ago she couldn’t even call me from across the TARDIS, now she can block out every trick I know with shields that I should be able to fracture through without even breaking into a sweat.” He turned on his heel and paced in the other direction.

“So how could her mind be…what did you say? Super charged?”

The Doctor reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his glasses, a habit Jack had long ago teamed up with the Doctor’s lecture mode. “Think of the brain like an organic computer of sorts. Now one part gets damaged it will simply shunt factions to another. Now when I say simply I mean it takes months sometimes years for the brain to relearn how to, lets say, hold a screwdriver,” And with that he pulled out the Sonic screwdriver and held it up. “Right now my brain knows that I need to contract or relax certain muscles in order to make my fingers work and grip the screwdriver, but if something happens and that pathway is damaged or gets rerouted then, “He opens his fingers and lets the screwdriver fall. “My fingers don’t know what to do.”

Jack shook his head “Umm…Doc what’s this got to do with Ella?”

“I’m getting there.” He leaned over and picked up the Sonic Screwdriver. “Humans use less then half the capacity of their brain tissue, which is a sad thing all that wonderful brain power just sitting there with nothing to do. Explains why some people hear voices.” He shook himself. “The point is that it should be impossible for Ella to suddenly be capable of doing what she just did.”

“Even though she’s half Gallifreyan?”

“Even a Time Lord has to relearn things after major brain damage Jack, we’re not indestructible, we just happen to do it faster then you humans and with more finesse.” He pulled his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. “But that’s not the point. The point is, Ella would have required at least a year if not longer for her brain to rewire itself and even then the amount of power she was shunting through her should have pretty much toasted every synapse she has.” He shuddered at the thought.

“So what could have caused this to happen the way it did with the results it had?”

“Honestly Jack,” The Doctor looked him straight in the eye. “I have no idea. It’s like something went and rewired her mind then just tossed an on switch and it all started working.” He put his glasses back on and scratched the back of his neck. “It should be impossible, but who am I to argue with what I just saw?”

Jack snorted. “Usually the first in line.” Jack thought for a moment. “You said that the change has to recent right.” The Doctor nodded. “When did you first notice something different about Ella?”

The Doctor scratched his hair as he thought. “Well she’s always a bit different Jack, but if you’re talking different different then it was right after Bad Wolf Bay and when she found that book.” He paused eyes widening at sudden inspiration. “That’s it!”

“What’s it?”

The Doctor ran over and gripped Jack’s shoulders. “Don’t you get it Jack? The book it’s a psychic sponge remember? It absorbs and releases psychic energy, Ella was melded with the book when I found her, there was enough energy in the room to power the TARDIS which means more then enough to blow open every psychic channel in her mind in a matter of minutes.” He jumped away nearly dancing with joy of solving the mystery. “Don’t you see Jack? The book is the key to everything!”

“So how do we stop it?” Jack asked.

The Doctor’s wide grin faded and his mouth snapped shut as he bounced on his feet. “Stop it? Right forgot about that.” He scratched the back of his head. “Can I get back to you?”

Jack shook his head. “You get me the answer and I’ll do anything I can to help, but until then Doc Ella’s a threat and she’s going to be contained.”

“What?” The Doctor’s eyes flashed with renewed anger. “If your so worried I’ll just take her to the TARDIS and…”

“No,” He pulled himself up to his full height. “She’s to dangerous and I’m not going to take a chance of you disappearing with her, when you’ve already proven you can not stop her.” He watched as the Doctor clenched and unclenched his hands waiting for the inevitable argument. What he wasn’t expecting was the Doctor to suddenly relax and nod.

“Thank you.”

Jack blinked and suddenly felt as if he had stepped into a completely different conversation. “For what?”

“You’re right.” He tiredly leaned against a convent table. “I couldn’t stop her Jack. I couldn’t even break through for a second.”

Jack stepped forward and placed a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “I know Doc, and believe me if I had another way I wouldn’t have shot her.” He looked down at the now dried blood that coated the Doctors shirtsleeve, yet another demon to haunt his dreams, when he let himself have them that is.

“I know Jack, I know.” The Doctor smiled sadly at the Captain and pulled his glasses off at put them back into his pocket. “You did what had to be done, what I couldn’t do.” He closed his eyes, suddenly feeling tired beyond his years. “I just hope we find an answer, because next time I don’t think anything short of killing her is going to stop this.”

  
* * * * *  


Martha expression was enough to let Jack know she was far from pleased with the current situation. He simply brushed past her and headed to his office, well aware of the anger in the footsteps following him, and was glad he had managed to leave the Doctor elsewhere. He winced as the door slammed shut and with a heavy sigh sank into his chair and regarded the woman in front of him waiting.

Martha stepped forward and laid her hands on his desk, locking her angry on his face. “You had better have a bloody good reason why she’s in a containment cell and not in my medical ward.”

“If I said yes would it actually make a difference?” He flashed her his most charming smile.

“Damn it Jack!” She slammed a fist down hard. “I don’t have time for your games. I need my patient released and where I can keep an eye on her not locked up like some animal!”

Jack leaned back in his chair and calmly asked. “What’s her current condition?”

Martha blinked. “She’s locked up in a cell how the hell do you think she is?”

“Medically.”

Martha pushed herself off the desk and crossed her arms. “Medically,” She spat. “She’s sustained a gun shot wound to her left shoulder,” She paused glaring at Jack. “Your doing I suspect. Fortunately the bullet missed the vital tissues and she should heal up fine.”

“So medically she’s stable?”

“Physically yes, mentally I don’t know yet.” She sank down into a chair.

Jack leaned forward resting his elbows on the desk. “And that’s exactly why she’s in a cell and not where she can wander off again.”

“The Doctor is not going to like this.” She stood and moved towards the door.

“Actually he agreed with me.” He smiled as she spun around. He caught her eyes with his and in the tone he saved for times when no one would question him he spoke. “Ella is where she needs to be, you said yourself medically she’s stable, and until I know exactly what the hell is controlling her she is considered a threat.”

“Jack she’s just a kid…”

“Who very nearly ripped the Rift open,” His tone allowed no room for argument. “I suggest you follow your orders and drop this now.”

Martha glared at him. “Yes sir,” She growled out snapped him a salute and walked out slamming the door behind her.

  
* * * * *  


Awareness slammed into her like a punch in the gut. Her eyes shot open scanning the barren space around her, a simple hard mattress that she was lying on, dark smooth walls and ceiling, no windows, dim lighting, and a clear glass barricade between her and freedom. Confusion slunk its way up into her conscious thoughts as her last memories of falling asleep in the medical ward surfaced, followed by the sense of disembodiment as events flashed through her mind that she had no recognition of being part of.

She remembered power. She remembered her father’s voice. She remembered pain. She remembered nothing more until this moment. Slowly she pulls herself up feels the tug of something across her shoulder and chest. A quick glance down shows her a clean dressing. In the far corner sat a meal with cutlery, obviously someone had added a few comforts to her cell.

“Ella?”

Her head shoots up at the sound of the voice. Slowly she pulls herself off the bed and walks over to the glass partition that separated her from him. She placed a hand on the cold unfeeling wall and watched as he placed his opposite hers.

Brown eyes met brown and she let all her fear and pain show. “Why?”

It was a simple question and one he had expected of her, but he found himself fighting the urge to skate around the truth of what had happened. “It’s only temporary, I promise, until we find out what happened.” He smiled softly at her.

“I don’t understand.” She shook her head, confusion evident in her eyes. “What happened?”

The Doctor sighed and stood silent for a moment as he debated how much to tell her. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

“I was sleeping…no.” She stopped glancing down at the floor, “I was outside. You were there and Jack.” She looked back up at the Doctor her face hardening, her eyes narrowing. “You stopped me.”

The Doctor pulled his hand back in shock at the sudden change in Ella demeanor. Gone was the frightened girl and in her place stood someone he didn’t recognize despite the fact that she looked at him with his daughter’s eyes and face. “Who are you?”

She laughed, a laugh that none would call sane. “Who am I?” She titled her head slightly. “You know who I am.”

He shook his head and grabbed the sonic screwdriver from his pocket, scanning her quickly through the glass. “Impossible.”

“Impossible?” She pushed back from the glasses and pointed at him. “This from the man who claims to do impossible before breakfast.” She stood in the center of her cell arms spread wide, ignoring the pull and tare on her shoulder. “The mighty Doctor can’t believe what he sees.” She took a step forward. Arms dropping to her sides “Or is it won’t?”

“You’re not Ella.”

“No,” She smiled, twisted, chilling. “I am so much more.”

The Doctor’s eyes turned hard as he regarded the stranger before him. “You opened the Rift.” It wasn’t a question. “Your using Ella as a conductor for the energy.”

“Oh nothing so simple as that.” Her smile fell. “I will make right what was put wrong. I will correct your mistake.”

The Doctor scratched the back of his neck. “Could you be a bit more specific? Over 900 years-old you know and made a lot of mistakes.”

“Rose.”

One word froze his hearts. “No,” He stepped up to the glass. “If you do that you’ll create a paradox. I can’t allow that.” His tone cold, his eyes hard.

She laughed again. “And who will stop me? You?” She gave him a pouting look. “Could you truly harm your Ella?”

“Do not push me.”

“No, you do not push me!” She took another step. “I am power.” Step. “I am life and death.” Step. “I am everything that you can not be.” Step. “I am the means to the end.” Step. “I am Iella Nu Dedonoren.” Step. “And you can not stop me.”

The Doctor calmly caught her eyes with his. “I give you only one warning.” He placed his hand on the glass. “Ella, stop this.” For a moment he watched as her eyes cleared and he saw the spark that was his Ella. “Please stop this.”

“I…”She shook her head. “No.”

He watched as the small flicker that was Ella vanished. “Stop this. Or I will stop you.” He turned and walked away without looking back, leaving the girl that was his daughter yet not her alone in her prison.

  
* * * * *  


With a sob Ella slowly sank down to the cold hard floor as she watched the figure of her father disappear into the shadows of the corridor. Alone. Lost she allowed the tears to flow down her cheeks as the voice in her mind laughed and stabbed at her already shredded confidence.

_Poor little Ella. Daddy can’t fix it this time. He can’t stop me._

“Shut-up.” Ella whispered as she slowly rocked back and forth. “Leave me alone.”

_Oh no I can’t do that. I am you._

Ella clutched at her head. “No, you’re not me. You’re not me.”

_But I am. I am more you then you are. I am what you are supposed to be. I am what you deny yourself. You cannot exist without me. You are nothing without me._

“That’s not true.”

 _Isn’t it? What do you think you could do without me?_ The voice taunted. _You would never have the strength to take a single step without me._

“I could stop you.” Ella froze her tears drying on her cheeks. “I could end this right here, right now.”

The voice laughed. _You? The girl who is too afraid to step out of Daddy’s shadow? How do you think you can stop me?_

Ella slowly stood. “I have to stop this.” She turned and faced the camera in the corner. “I’m sorry.” A single tear fell down her cheek as she turned away from the camera.

_Wait. You can’t! I won’t let you!_

Ella laughed as she slowly raised her wrist. “I won’t let you force him to choose.”

In her mind the voice screamed as Ella forced it into the back of her conscious thought. _You can’t stop me!_

“Yes I can!” Without second thought she reached over and grabbed the knife from the uneaten meal that had been left for her and without time for second thoughts slashed through both wrists.

_NO!_

“Yes,” Ella watched as the blood slowly flowed down her wrists, almost as if it was someone else’s blood, not her own flowing from the jagged wounds. Calmly she walked over to the glass, a red stream following her path.

_You have only delayed what must come to pass._

Ella felt her control slipping as the voice gained control of her body. As she watched her fingers swirled the blood upon the glass the geometric patterns forming words to her tattered mind.

Gradually the room blurred and she lowered her head to the concrete ground. She watched as the red river spread across the floor as a feeling of contentment passed over her.

“I’m sorry.” She called out to a familiar mind one last time as her eyes drifted shut. “I love you.”

In her mind the voice laughed.

And around her the red river flowed.

  
* * * * *  


Martha Jones was in heaven, or at least she had been. Until approximately 2.7 seconds ago she had been laying on a pristine white beach with the sun shining warmly on her and her very own Greek Adonis reciting poetry to her. So there she was lounging, quite happily thank you, in a hammock gently swaying in the breeze, sipping at wine and breathing the clean crisp air when suddenly her Greek Adonis starts sounding a lot like the Doctor and she smells coffee.

She slowly cracks an eye open and glares at the all to cheerful face staring at her and waving a mug of coffee under her nose. “I swear,” She raised her head up off the conference table that she had some how managed to fall asleep on. “You do that just to annoy me.” She grabbed the mug of coffee from him and sipped at it.

The Doctor flashed her a hurt look. “Me?” He flopped down in a chair and grinned. “Annoy someone? Never.”

Martha snorted and sat the mug on the table. “You woke me up for a reason I hope.”

“Oh right,” He pulled at an earlobe and his cheerful expression faded. “I just saw Ella.”

“Right, I wanted to talk to you about that.” She flashed him an angry glare. “She injured, scared, and tittering on the edge of her sanity and you go and let Jack lock her up?!” She pushed back from the table and stood up. “She needs to be where she feels safe, not locked in a cell like she’s some…some…thing!”

“She’s not Ella anymore.”

“I sear if you don’t do something about this right-“ She paused. “Wait, what did you say?”

The Doctor looked down at his hands and gave a small shudder. “I said she’s not Ella anymore.”

“Alright,” Martha slowly sat back down raining in her anger. “I’m listening.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “She’s where she needs to be right now Martha. I don’t know what she is capable of at this point and I won’t risk her playing games with the Rift again.”

“If that’s what you call a game, I hate to see her serious.”

“That’s just it Martha.” He reached out and placed a hand on top of hers. “It was a game to her, still is.” He looked her straight in the eye. “And she intends to win.”

“So what can we do?”

“Right now, nothing.” He pulled his hand back and sighed. “Until I figure out exactly what’s controlling her I won’t be able to stop it.”

“Right.” Martha pushed herself up and headed for the door. “We won’t get answers sitting here talking about it will we?” She turned and flashed a smile at the Doctor. “Well come on.”

The Doctor grinned back and jumped up from his seat. “Nothing better then a good conundrum to get the synapses moving again.”

Martha nodded and swung back towards the door jumping back in time to avoid it as Owen slammed it open. “Blimey, little warning next time Owen.”

“Sorry,” He shot half-heartedly. “Look we don’t have time for pleasantries, both of you need to come now.”

“What? Found something you can’t handle on your own?” Martha teased.

Owen growled shoved past the two of them and flicked some switches on the monitor. The Doctor’s smiled quickly faded as the image appeared. Martha’s hand found its way up and covered her mouth. Owen turned back to them his expression grim. “ _Now_ will you get your asses moving?!”

Without a second word all three ran out the door.

  
* * * * *  


There were few things left in the world that Jack Harkness found uncomfortable. After over a hundred years of wandering Earth and time and space before that, he had developed a pretty good defense for situations he found himself in, but for some reason this one scene sent chills through his bones.

The cell’s normal gray appearance was painted with streaks of drying blood on walls and the glass. The former occupant had already been removed for what treatment Martha and Owen could do, but the bleak mood of the room remained intact. Jack quietly walked towards the center of the cell, careful not to disturb the current occupant.

Gone was the long brown coat and suit jacket, his white shirt sleeves pulled up to his elbow, glasses perched in his matted hair. His face was a mask of concentration, his eyes closed, brow creased, fingers gently touching his temples, and sitting on the blood-coated floor was the damn cause of ever headache Jack had had for the last week.

At this point Jack was tempted to take the book and tosses it into the incinerator, but even by doing that there was no way of knowing if it would stop what was happening. In fact it might even make things worse since Ella apparently was connected to the thing.

“You know,” The Doctor cracked an eye open. “If your going to stand you could at least go get some tea.”

Jack blinked “Tea?”

“Oh yes! Love some.” The Doctor grinned as he dropped his fingers from his temple and regarded Jack. “Curse everything tea does, from a cough to a neuro implosion.” He paused, “Well not everything didn’t do much for dandruff now that I think about it.” He absently scratched his hair and caught Jack’s confused look. “Wha?” He looked down at the book. “Oooo…right that.”

“Yeah that,” Jack nudged the book with his foot. “Did your little Vulcan mind-meld do anything?”

“Actually Jack the Vulcan's aren’t telepathic at all in fact they have tiny-itty-bitty little brains.” He pulled his glasses down onto his nose and picked up the book. “As for this, well the good news is that it’s not currently active.”

“And the bad?” Jack asked as he reached out a hand and pulled the Doctor to his feet. “With you there’s always a bad.” He added when the Doctor flashed him a look.

“Welllll…its not bad in the sense that its bad bad, its more like kinda bad, or maybe its not so bad that its bad bad.” He pulled at his ear and took a deep breath. “It’s Ella’s consciousness in their Jack.”

Jack stared at the book in shock. “Ella? And you’re saying it’s not bad?!” Jack flung an arm behind him motioning to the blood covered walls. “You call this not bad?!”

“No,” The Doctor lost all of his normal giddiness and his voice was calm…level. “I call this a message.”

Jack snorts. “One hell of a message there Doc.” He glanced over the geometric shapes. “So what’s it say?”

“It’s a play on a Gallifreyan nursery rhyme that I taught Ella when she was little.” He glanced over the runes. “It’s the same pattern, but the words are wrong.” He blinked rescanned the runes then quickly opened the book. “It’s the same.”

“Care to enlighten those of us in the room that can’t read Gallifreyan.”

“I don’t need to” He handed Jack to book. “Read it for yourself.”

_  
One step...two step...three step...four  
The Wolf has made it through the door_

_Five step...six step...seven...eight  
The Lonely God, no longer waits._

_Nine…and ten...eleven...twelve  
The Wolf returns where once she dwelled._

_Thirteen...fourteen...Now has come  
The Wolf and the Wonderer shall be one_

_Fifteen...sixteen. No more wait  
What the world divides. I remake._

_Seventeen…eighteen…Wait and see  
The circle comes back round to me._

_Nineteen…stones upon the path  
The future lies within the past_

_Twenty…Stop  
No time to waste.  
Walk the path  
Go find your fate.  
_

“Ella wrote this?” Jack glanced from the walls to the book. “I thought you said the book wasn’t active.” He slammed the book shut.

“Its not.” He plucked the book from Jack’s hands. “All that was is a projection of the last mental contact.” He glanced back at the runes. “Jack, she’s trying to fight it. Whatever it is. She’s trying and she’s loosing.” He winced when he felt Jack’s hand on his shoulder.

“We won’t let anything happen to her.”

The Doctor took a deep shaking breath. “We may not have a choice Jack.”

Jack opened his mouth to respond, but paused as his comm unit beeped for his attention. “Harkness.” He frowned and nodded to himself before cutting the connection. “She’s patched up and in an empty containment cell.”

With one last look at the walls he spun on his heels and headed out of the cell, pausing long enough to hand Jack the book. “Lock this up Jack.”

“I will,” His eyes flashed over the Doctor’s face. “I need to know Doctor, can you do it?” He locked his blue eyes onto the Doctor’s brown.

The Doctor matched Jack stare-for-stare, his eyes hard, empty. “I won’t let the Universe be destroyed Jack, and I won’t let her die either. He spun around and stuck his hands in his pockets and strolled into the shadows.

Jack sighed and shook his head. “You may not have a choice Doctor.”

  
* * * * *  


_Wakey…wakey…poor little time baby. Cockadoodldo!_

“Leave me alone.”

_Awwww, don’t you love me anymore?_

Ella took a deep breathe as the voice laughed in her mind. She had hoped to never wake up again after the darkness had claimed her, but here she was alive, breathing, and in an empty cell. Oh, they made sure she wouldn’t be able to try and take matters into her own hands again. She had woke surrounded by nothing more then the cold gray walls dressed in a plain pair of Martha’s surgical scrubs, her wrists wrapped in bandages and her feet in a pair of slippers, not even something as simple as a pillow to sit on. She was alone, completely and utterly alone, for the first time in her life the constant contact she had with her father and the TARDIS was silent. It left a gaping hole in her mind, and it was there that the voice was barricading itself.

So here she was, sitting in a corner, knees pulled up to her, face hidden, just wishing that her nightmare would come to an end. Instead the voice teases, prods, searches for the kink in her defenses. Ella knows it won’t take much for her crumbling psyche to plummet into the pit that was awaiting her, and the one part of her that wanted nothing more then to cast herself into the darkness was slowly winning the battle. But one little spark, one little part of her refused to let her take that finial step she wanted, Everyone it seemed, even her own sub-conscious was fighting her.

_That’s right, poor, poor, little Ella. Can’t even manage something as simple as killing herself._

Ella squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back tears. “You’re not real. You’re not real. You’re _not real._ ” She chanted over and over again, turning it into a mantra.

 _Oh, I’m real, and more a part of you then you could ever imagine. I’ve existed since your conception. I am a part of you. I am everything, while you._ The voice laughed. _You are nothing more then a shell._

“Your lying,” She shook her head. “I don’t believe you. You can’t be.”

_Can’t I? But enough of this, its time I take matters into my hands, or yours rather._

Ella felt the power in her begin to gather itself and with speed that startled her, she formed a wall around the power and for a moment, a brief moment there was freedom, but she knew it was temporary. Already the power was bombarding the shield. She wouldn’t be able to hold it long.

Pain flared through her head and she could feel warmth running down her skin. She reached up with a shaking hand and touched just below her nose, red colored the once white bandages when she pulled her fingers away. In her mind the power screamed for release. The walls shook in time with the beating of her hearts. Slowly, gradually they began to crumble under the onslaught.

 _I’m coming_ The voice sang out _Coming to get you._

It was in that moment Ella knew she would loose.

  
* * * * *  


He thought he was prepared, Martha had warned him that Ella was not entirely stable. He had expected to find her weak, pale, and more then likely withdrawn. What he hadn’t expected to find was Ella arguing with herself, blood running down her face, and the pulsing of power on the air. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up with the static charge that coursed through the room. He needed to stop her. And he needed to stop her now.

“Ella!” He pounds on the glass trying to get her attention; the response he got wasn’t what he was expecting.

Her eyes snapped open and with a cry she flung herself at the glass, fists pounding as she allowed the tears to finally escape, her father took an involuntary step back. “Why?!” She shouted. “Couldn’t you let me just _die!_ ”

“Its not the answer.” He quickly pulled himself back together and placed a hand on the glass. “Let me help you Ella please.”

The pounding fists stopped and slowly she sank to the floor. “You can’t, no one can.” She rocked back and forth, eyes held wide.

The Doctor sank down to he level and wished he could take her in his arms like he did when she woke from nightmares. “Listen to me, I will find a way to stop this.”

She shook her head, “You can’t. No one can stop her.”

“You can.”

Her eyes shot up to his and she shivered with the strain of holding back the power in her. “I tried. I’m not strong enough.”

“You are if you want to be Ella.” His voice hardened. “Now fight!” He had to push; he knew she was the only one who could stop it. He watched as she struggled and for a moment she had managed to regain control. It was in this moment that he tentatively reached out for her mentally, trying to offer what comfort he could. And her control shattered.

“NO! DON’T”

The warning came to late. The flare of power that flew through the link slammed into the Doctor like a stone to the ground. Pain engulfed him, fire seared him, and one by one his shields began to fall.

“No!” Ella pulled back swiftly, freeing her father’s mind from hers, but at the cost of the walls she had erected. The power was free. “Run! Go before she comes!”

“I’m not leaving you.” He growled out through a parched throat. “You can fight this Ella.”

“To strong-“ She screamed as the power flared free and pain slashed through her. “She’s coming.” Her hands clutched her head as fire coursed down her synapses. “It burns, oh god it _burns!_ ”

“Ella, listen to me.” He pleaded, but his pleas went unheard.

“Oh, I’m sorry Ella isn’t in right now would you care to leave a message?” She glanced up at the Doctor, Her voice was different, darker, and deeper, her posture straightened, her eyes, golden. “Although I suppose there’s really no point since I don’t plan on letting her back out.” She pulled herself up to her feet and brushed a hand down her body. “Especially if this is her taste in clothing.”

“Who are you?”

She sighed, “We already had this conversation and I’m bored with all the questions.” She closed her eyes and smiled. “Oh look! Someone was nice enough to leave the Rift open.”

“Stop this now.”

She opened her eyes. “Or what? No wait let me guess.” She struck a thoughtful pose and regarded the Doctor. “Your going to come up with some last minute plan and then make me natter on about everything I’m going to do.” She paused. “Well I really don’t have time for all that, so lets just skip it and get to the part where you stop me.” She smiled as she again reached out and tapped the power in the Rift. “Oh its yummy.”

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out the Sonic screwdriver. “One last chance. Stop this Ella.”

Ella cracked an eye open, “I told you Ella isn’t here, and your becoming annoying.” She flicked a hand and the glass exploded outward flinging the Doctor back hard against the wall.

He could hear her footsteps as the glass crunched beneath her. “I can’t let you do this.” He pulled himself up to his feet, ignoring the bleeding cuts on his body. This was something that would haunt the Doctor for the rest of his lives. The fact of the matter was, it terrified him, and that in of itself was enough to brand the consequences forever to his memory. He had known she was teetering on the edge of sanity and insanity. He had known and he had pushed. In the end he knew. He was responsible to everything that came to be after, and with that admission. He knew, he had to stop her.

No matter what the cost.

“Do it then,” She stood before him arms spread wide waiting. “Kill me, because that’s the only way I will stop.” She waited.

He froze.

“Pity,” She reached out and forced her way past all his shields, slamming her will into his mind. “I had hoped for more of a fight out of you, but alas, it seems your getting to old for all this.” She watched detached as he slumped to the ground. “Always the coward.” She turned and stepped away.

“Ella, please.”

She glanced back over her shoulder and for a moment he saw a flash of his Ella in her eyes. “I’m sorry.” One, single solitary tear ran down her cheek before the power flared up again and she was lost.

“Good-bye Doctor.” She struck out.

And he knew only darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

It was nothing and it was everything.

It was vastness and it was emptiness. It was silence and it was deafening. It was darkness and it was brightness. It was up and it was down. It was never ending it was un-beginning. It was heaven and it was hell. It was the void.

And Rose Tyler was trapped.

The path, once, just a moment ago, so clear to her, now vanished into the abyss around her. Part of her, she knew, had made it through before the breach had closed, but the part that was Rose Tyler remained trapped, alone, lost.

For the first time she felt the shaft of fear stab through her as the depth of the consequences of being in the void meant. She could already feel the drain on her as she struggled to absorb and understand the chaos around her. The Doctor had told her the void was hell, and now she understood why.

It was in one moment being bombarded with an overabundance of information in every sense her mind possessed. Only to have it suddenly stop and be surrounded by nothing, complete sensory loss. Part of her began to wonder if she was in fact dead and this was Purgatory, but she could still feel the slight tug at her mind that told her, somewhere she was still alive. It was only a matter of surviving until the way opened again.

With no clear path out, and no option but to bide her time, she mentally wound herself around the slim tether that tied her to her corporeal form and settled in.

Rose Tyler was trapped, but she was willing to wait.

For now…

________________________________________

Hands, grabbing him, pulling him away from her, he fought, struggled for release so he could return to her side. Around him he could hear voices shouting at him to let go, trying to reason with him, but he was beyond reasoning now. _She_ was here and his mind had narrowed itself down to once fact-no one was taking her from him again, ever

Martha watched as Ianto and Owen struggled to separate the distraught Time Lord from the form he incessantly clung to. Jack was still staring in shock and Gwen and Tosh were busy trying to figure out what the hell had even happened. So with a deep breath Martha drove forward grabbed the Doctor’s face and forced him to look at her. “Let go!” She ignored the lack of sanity in his eyes and held them with her best ‘or else’ look. “I can’t help if you don’t let me Doctor.”

The Doctor glanced from Rose to Martha and back again before reluctantly releasing Rose into Owen’s waiting arms.

“Not breathing.” Owen quickly felt for a pulse against her gray skin. “No pulse.” He quickly laid her flat and began CPR. “Martha!” He paused long enough to rip open the tattered remains of Rose’s shirt.

“Got it,” she turned and grabbed the AED from Tosh. Quickly she placed the pads on Rose’s bare chest and pressed the button.

“Charging,” a calm mechanical voice reported. “Clear.”

Owen pulled back and watched as Rose’s body convulsed as the machine poured an electric current into her heart.

“No pulse.” The machine began its insistent beeping, “charging.”

The Doctor shuddered at the sound and fought to keep himself from ripping it from her body. “Please Rose.”

“Clear.”

He shut his eyes as again her body convulsed.

“No pulse.”

In his mind he could feel the darkness gathering, trying to break free from the cage he confined it in. “Please…”

“Charging.”

“Don’t leave me.”

“Clear.”

Around him the world went silent as first one beep, then another and another-faint, but there. His mind grabbed onto the steady rhythm that told him she was fighting. She was not leaving him. She was here.

“We need to get her in the Hub now.” Owen said as he quickly assessed her condition.

Without a word Jack pushed forward and picked Rose up into his arms and without a glance at anyone ran as fast as he could the others following quickly behind him. He could hear the pounding of his heart and feel the faint flutter of her pulse against his fingers. She was cold…so cold as if death had already drawn all that was Rose from her body. Well he knew a thing or two about death and he’d be damned if he let it take her from him again. He tightened his grip and growled when Owen tried to take her from him and then tenderly he laid her on the waiting bed.

“Right,” Owen shoved Jack out of the way. “Let me do my fuckin’ job?”

Jack simply stepped backwards until he felt the cold steal of the wall against his back. Beside him the Doctor watched as Owen and Martha hooked up IV’s, monitors and basically fought to keep Rose’s failing body alive. Neither of them even dared to breath as they waited, time seemed to slow to an impossible speed and in what seemed like hours, days, even a life time, minutes ticked by. Then suddenly Martha was their nodding and telling them it was up to her now, she and Owen had done what they could.

“Could you…?” He nodded to the Doctor who had moved and took up residence next to Rose’s bed.

“I’ll be in hearing distance if you need anything Jack.” Martha smiled sadly as she glanced back at the pair. “He never told her did he?”

Jack shook his head. “ Never had the words, and then he ran out of time.”

“He needs to say it,” She gently touched Jack’s arm. “Even if she can’t hear him, he needs to hear it, to believe.” With a finial glance back at the Doctor she quietly left the room.

Jack slowly made his way over to the bed and glanced down at her pale face from behind the Doctor. “She’s a fighter Doc.” Jack reached out and touched the other man’s shoulder, “Our Rose.” He could feel the muscles tense under his fingers. “Tell her.” He turned and left the Doctor alone.

________________________________________

“Rose? Come in Rose.” Mickey’s voice broke the total silence that fell after the collapse of the rift, “Damn it, would someone answer me?!”

Alyce shakily got to her feet and took a deep breath before responding. “Code key is Alpha-michael-2271, agent Foxtrot-Romeo 221 is declaring the loss of agent Alpha-Bravo 1. At this time, agent Beta-Zulu 301 is to assume command.”

“What?” Mickey’s voice cracked over the static.

“Authenticate Beta-Zulu.”

“I-she can’t be.”

Alyce forced the lump in her throat back. “She’s gone Mickey. Authenticate.”

“I authenticate Alpha-David-5591.”

“Command code verified.” Alyce reached down and flipped off her comm before slowly walking to the spot, that just minutes before had been the opening into hell. She squatted down and brushed away the dust and debris that had settled over the spot. “I hope you found what you’re looking for.” With a heavy sigh she stood, “Mickey I’m coming in.” And without a second glance she spun on her heels and pointed her mind towards the job at hand. There would be time to grieve later.

There always was.

________________________________________

_  
"Ring around the Rosie, pockets full of posies, Ashes, ashes, the Wolf falls down."  
_

She had been startled when she had first heard the rhyme in her mind. She had thought herself alone here. Now she found herself not so sure. She knew that others had been lost in the void, the Doctor had told her as much. She knew the Cybermen and the Daleks had gone into the void and she knew the Reapers called this place home. That is she knew to be fact.

_  
"This old man, he played 1, he played nick-knack on his thumb. With a nick-knack patty-whack give a dog a bone. Doctors left there all alone."  
_

This though she couldn’t make sense of, why would she be hearing children’s rhymes in her head? Why would the voice feel familiar to her? And why did she have a sudden sense of dread for the Doctor.

Something was wrong.

_  
"London Bridges falling down, falling down, falling down, London Bridges falling down my fair Lady, take the Wolf and lock her up, lock her up, lock her up. Take the Wolf and lock her up in the darkness."  
_

It was a trap. Had always been a trap. Her one clear path to return had become her prison. Now Rose knew she had little time left. She had to find a way out before whoever trapped her here decided they had enough of this game.

_  
"The eensy weensy Doctor climbed up the waterspout. Down came the rain and washed the Doctor out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain. And the eensy weensy Doctor never tried again."  
_

She didn’t have much time; she could feel something slowly unraveling her tether. She quickly reinforced her hold and felt the presence slip back as if considering its options. She knew it would return and she knew she was running out of time.

_  
"Hey diddle diddle the Doc and his fiddle. The Wolf did howl at the moon. The little girl laughed. To see her pray caught. And the world bow down to her too."  
_

________________________________________

Alyce had never been one to dwell on split second decisions made at critical moments. In her years with Torchwood she had never once second guessed a choice she had made, she had always stood a firm ground when questioned in her decisions all that changed in less than a second when she stepped off the zeppelin and was confronted with Peter and Jackie Tyler.

“What happened?” Jackie demanded.

Mickey stepped forward and nodded towards the waiting vehicles. “Not now Jackie.”

“Peter…”

“No Jacks, he’s right.” He motioned the team to precede them. “No use standing in the weather when we have a nice warm office waiting for us.”

The drive to Canary Warf seemed far shorter than usual for Alyce; the normal heavy London traffic seemed to simply part for them. The drive itself was in silence as neither Mickey of Jake seemed inclined to push for answers. Thankfully Jackie and Peter were in their own transport so she was spared from that confrontation for a little longer. In her mind she ran the moment over and over trying to see if there had been another option left. Each time she came to the same conclusion, there was nothing she could have done. It was Rose’s decision and short of rendering her unconscious she was not going to be stopped. Deep inside they all knew this day might come. Rose had always said if there was a way back and she had the chance there would be no stopping her. She had even gone so far as to write letters and leave Alyce instructions in case she managed to succeed.

It seemed in a matter of minutes they were pulling into the underground structure of Torchwood, Mickey and Jake both exited and started collecting there gear, Alyce joined them after taking a moment to collect herself and grabbed her own gear. All three turned as Pete walked up to them.

“Pete…”

He held up a hand stalling Alyce, “As far as I am concerned you did right.” He ran a hand over his tired face and looked at Mickey and Jake who both nodded in agreement. “If you had tried to stop her Rose would have simply found another way. We all,” He pointed including the whole team. “Knew what would happen if the barrier ever opened again.” He looked over his shoulder at Jackie, “she knew to, deep down.” He sighed. “Right, take a couple hours get cleaned up grab a meal then meet me for debrief.”

“Rather get it over with, you know while it’s fresh in my mind.” She glanced over at Jackie, “besides I promised.”

“Alright, go on do what you need; I can get what I want from the boys.” With that Peter Tyler turned on his heel and motioned for Mickey and Jake to follow.

Alyce went and set her gear down, took a deep breath and walked over to Jackie, “Mrs. Tyler…”

“She went back didn’t she,” It wasn’t a question. “Found a way to him.”

“That’s what she believed.”

Jackie nodded and took a deep breath. “It wasn’t your fault. When my Rose puts her mind to something she’s going to do it.” She hugged herself.

“It’s the not knowing that’s the hardest.” Alyce blinked back tears. “What if she didn’t…?”

“No you don’t,” Jackie spun round, “Rose is alive. She’s back there with Mr. Impressive, traveling and knowing those two already in trouble.” She jabbed a finger in Alyce’s chest. “She’s there in that daft blue box of his listening to him ramble on about what ‘ever the hell he wants. She’s with him and she’s happy.” She stepped back and crossed her arms. “That’s what I believe…no that’s what I know.”

“She made me promise,” She pulled out a simple box. “Even made me keep it in my pack, in case…if she ever left she told me to make sure….”

“Not here, “She placed her hand over Alyce’s on the box. “I can use a nice cuppa tea,” She threaded her arm through Alyce’s. “And I insist that you join me.”

Without another word the two disappeared into the beginning shadows of the night in search of comfort and reassurance in each other, neither able to voice either fears. There was no way to know if Rose had succeeded in her attempt. They would never know.

She was gone. They could only hope and believe. It had been enough for Rose.

It would be enough for them.

________________________________________

For once he paid no attention to the passage of time. Around him it drifted, mush like an unending river, always moving, sometimes changing, but always…always flowing. He could stop it. He could slow it. He could even change it but he did nothing. He simply let it slip past. Afraid that if he touched the fragile thread that was Rose, she would disappear, time no longer mattered, _only_ Rose. Only _His_ Rose.

He didn’t search the time lines for any hits of what her future held. He watched he waited as she fought a war he could not touch. He focused instead on the steady rise and fall of her chest, of the simple beat of her heart as if it meant more to him then the universe itself.

And he silently admitted it did.

He burned out a star to say good-bye. He’d burn the universe if it meant she was safe.

Martha and Owen had done what they could. Physically she was stable. Mild hypothermia, dehydrated, and low blood glucose. Simple enough to fix, even for a human. No it wasn’t the physical that threatened her life. He knew the moment he had tried to brush her thoughts looking for the familiar calm minty green sensation of her mind. Instead he found a barren place void of everything that made Rose…Rose.

Her mind still functioned. Making her heart beat, her lungs draw air. Synapses fired she responded, she felt pain, could, heat, touch. The person lying in the bed was simply an empty vessel. Rose was lost somewhere between awareness and emptiness. He was the only one likely to be able to find her and lead her out of the purgatory she was in.

There was just one problem. He had to know where to look. He couldn’t simply throw his mind after her consciousness and expect to find her and lead her out. No, it wasn’t that simple. He could just as easily never find her or get himself trapped; He needed to find an anchor. Something to keep him tethered to this world without draining his strength while he searched. Once he found her it would be simple enough to follow the tether back with Rose in tow. Easy enough for a Time Lord, but he had to wait. She wasn’t strong enough yet.

So he waited, measuring the passing moments with each rise and fall of her chest. Each beat of her heart. He waited, and time marched on.

________________________________________

_  
"Who are you?"  
_

Around her the emptiness seemed to shift and suddenly there was light and sound. Her senses stung from the sudden onslaught of information. She shook her head trying to clear her eyes of dancing spots and her ears of ringing. Once she recovered she looked around and found herself in the TARDIS control room, only it wasn’t, She glanced around noting the subtle differences from what her mind remembered.

_  
"Who are you?"  
_

Rose turned facing a white wolf standing beside the control counsel. Larger then any wolves Rose had ever seen and whiter the snow, it pulsed with power and its golden eyes glowed bright as the stars it was into those eyes Rose found herself drawn.

 _"Who are you?"_ The voice repeated, the wolf, her head tilted slightly as she regarded Rose.

“Rose.”

The wolf gave herself a shake. _"That is who you were. Who are you now?"_

”Who are you?”

 _"I am you."_ The wolf answered simply, _"and you are me. We are one in the same."_

Rose shook her head. “How are we the same?”

 _"Many questions,"_ the wolf seemed to smile, _"and many answers will come, but for now trust in what I say, for your life will depend on that trust."_

”Trust you? Rose laughed, “Far as I know this isn’t even real. I’m safe at home in my bed sleeping and all this is just a dream.”

The wolf growled deep in her chest, _"stubborn child, this is no dream. It is a trap."_

“A trap,” Rose glanced around, “The TARDIS?”

 _"Nothing here is what it seems. This is simply a fragment of your memory that I used to make you feel safe, outside of this it a prison."_ The wolf stood and stalked towards Rose _“But not a prison for the body, it is for the mind…the soul if you prefer."_

“Ok say I believe you,” Rose stepped around the counsel, “who’d want to keep me here and why?”

The wolf growled low in her throat. _"The one who should not be, she was never meant to exist. Her time line was only one probable future and not the one that came to pass."_ The wolf snarled. _"Somehow she is here and she is the one who wishes to hold you…to keep you from him and him from you."_

Rose sat heavily to the grating. “I went through the void. I was trying to get back to him.”

 _"Yes,"_ the wolf nuzzled Rose; _"He waits as he always has. The child and the wanderer are meant to be one."_

“How,” Rose looked into the wolf’s eyes. “How do I get back to him?”

_  
"There is one way and one way only. You must be quick for your body is failing the longer you remain the closer to death you will drift."  
_

“And if I can’t get back in time?”

_  
"Your body will die and you will be trapped forever. She will win and the wanderer will be lost to madness. Time itself will begin to unravel and the universe will end."  
_

Rose closed her eyes and took a deep breathe. “No choice then.” She opened her eyes. “What do I need to do?”

_  
"Remember."  
_

”Remember? Remember what?”

The wolf sat her whole body seemed to glow with a golden energy. _"Who you are, He hid it well from you, so afraid that you would burn, he hid it deep inside. You must break down the walls between you and it."_ The wolf stood and started to walk away. _"Only then can you save everything you love."_

“Wait,” The wolf stopped turning back to Rose, “How will I know if I find it?”

_  
"You will know."  
_

“How will I know?”

 _  
"In your heart you already know."_ The wolf’s nostrils flared, _"we are out of time. I must return before she knows I have left."_

“Wait, “around her the TARDIS began to fade. “Please…”

_  
"Remember."  
_

It was nothing and it was everything. It was a trap. It was between her and him. She reached deep down and began looking for the strength she needed. There deep inside, hidden behind a false memory she found it. She began to undo the walls built around it. One by one they fell until she found the golden spark. She could hear it calling, singing to her. She reached pulling it to her.

It was time.

She was done waiting.

________________________________________

The house had long since fallen quiet, Pete had disappeared into his office Quinn was bathed and tucked into his bed for the night and at last Jackie had the peace to slip away and watch the message Rose had left her.

She found herself drawn to the rooms Rose had chosen as her own, near the back of the house away from the others. Rose had claimed she wanted the privacy from the busy household, but Jackie had long suspected Rose had meant to keep herself apart, in a way preparing everyone for the day when He came for her. Only _He_ hadn’t come and Rose had drawn more and more into herself; Until Bad Wolf Bay.

It was then Jackie knew _He_ couldn’t come for her. She was trapped in the wrong world with no way to get back to where she belonged, where she was needed. Rose had thrown herself into her work at Torchwood, pulling even further from her family, but Jackie had seen the light come back into her daughter’s eyes and she knew that Rose would one day find her way back. Part of Jackie had dreaded that day while another wanted nothing more for Rose.

The day had come. Rose was gone.

She slipped the DVD into the player and took a deep breath before pushing the play button. Rose’s office at Torchwood appeared on the screen, she sat at her desk looking confident and Jackie felt a wash of pride flow over her. This was her Rose, the old Rose, full of purpose and Tyler stubbornness. Jackie hadn’t relived till that moment how much of the light had gone out of her eyes.

“Mum, I know that you have been worried about me since Bad Wolf Bay, but I know I don’t belong here. I never did: She paused taking a deep breath. “I tried; I really did, to do what he wanted, to have a fantastic life…to make him proud. To fit in and find my way in this world, I had hoped that being at Torchwood would help, and at the start it did.” She took a sip from the tea mug sitting on her desk. “It was a distraction; something to keep my mind occupied to trick it into thinking I was doing what he wanted. I can’t lie to myself anymore Mum”

Rose leaned back in her chair eyes closed breathing deeply before speaking again. “I’ve been looking into things and I think I found a way to get back, away for me to go home.” She opened her eyes any looked directly at the camera. “If it happens, if the chance comes I’ve asked Alyce to make sure you got this and to let you know what happened. Don’t be too hard on her Mum, she couldn’t stop me anyway.” Rose stood and moved to the front of the desk closer to the camera.

“I won’t lie to you Mum, it’s dangerous and once I leave I can’t come back. I made my chose and I know that means leaving you, Dad, Mickey, and Quinn behind, most likely without a goodbye. I want you to know I love you. I’ll never forget you and in my heart I know you’ll be fine without me.” She picked a picture frame up from her desk. “You don’t need me Mum, he does. He needs someone to remind him that everything is not black and white, that not everything in the shadows is a monster. That he’s not alone. There’s no way for you to know if I make it or not, Mum, I want you to believe in one thing. I want you to believe in us. ” She turned the photo to the camera. “This is what I want you to remember.”

The image was taken that first Christmas after he had changed. Jackie could even remember when she had managed to sneak it. Outside, the ash falling and the two of them so engrossed in the other they didn’t even notice the world continued to spin around them. Jackie had long since given up hope that Rose would ever come home to stay again and that moment she had managed to capture took away the last of her worries. She knew he would keep her Rose safe, just like she knew at Bad Wolf Bay as she held a grieving Rose in her arms, that she, Jackie Tyler, would do the same for both of them.

“Me and him, together,” she hugged the photo close, tears glistening in her eyes. “He asked me once how long I was gonna stay with him Mum.” Her eyes seemed to catch Jackie’s. “I promised forever and he believed me. “

“Oh Rose,” Jackie could feel her own tears on her face and felt Pete sit behind her and pull her into his embrace.

“I love you Mum,” Rose’s voice cracked and her tears flowed freely. She reached out and brushed her fingers across the screen. “Goodbye.”

The screen went dark.

________________________________________

“Any change?”

Martha shook her head and turned from the observation window. “I’ve never seen him like this Jack.” She glanced back to the room. “He’s so lost.”

“I have,” he handed her a cup of tea.

“What if she doesn’t make it Jack?”

“She will.” His voice indisputable

“But what if she doesn’t?

“She will,” He repeated

“How can you be so sure?”

Jack held her eyes in his for a moment, “Because it’s Rose and there is no way on heaven or Earth he will let her go again.”

Martha turned back to watch through the window. “I hope your right.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I have to be.” He watched as The Doctor gently caressed Rose’s face. “If I’m not, I don’t think the universe will survive the storm that follows.”

As one they stood together watching, waiting, hoping…unable to do more than offer silent support. Willing that for once that fate would not be the cruel mistress and instead would be merciful upon her Lonely Traveler and for once let him have peace.

Just this once, let everyone live.

________________________________________

_  
"Can you hear it…?"  
_

From the darkness a wolf howls

_  
"Who are you…?"  
_

"I create myself,"

_  
"Can you feel it…?"  
_

Time stops, holding it’s breathe.

_  
"Who are you…?"  
_

"I scatter the words throughout Time"

_  
"Can you touch it…?"  
_

Around her she reached pulling the power to her.

_  
"Who are you…?"  
_

"I can see everything, all that is, all that was, and all that ever can be."

_  
"Can you feel it…?"  
_

"A storm is coming."

_  
"Who are you…?"  
_

"Bad Wolf"

_  
"Can you feel it…?"  
_

The Storm is here.


End file.
